Ukraine faces another bruising week as Trump demands more and more from Volodymyr Zelensky - but makes little mention of conditions on Russia
WASHINGTON DC – As US and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for face-to-face meetings this week in Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump is taking more steps to make life difficult for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and to aggrandise Russia’s strategic position.
Over the weekend, senior Trump administration officials said the President was now demanding more from the Ukrainian leader than just his signature on the minerals deal that will grant the White House ownership rights to as-yet undetermined quantities of rare earths for generations to come. Last week, after Trump suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine and paused the scheduled transfer of weapons shipments to Kyiv, he continued to make opaque demands of the Ukrainian leader following their fiery encounter in the Oval Office last month.
“We look forward to hearing more positive movement that will hopefully ultimately end this brutal war and bloodshed”, said Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Trump’s National Security Council on Sunday. But “positive movement” is in the eye of the beholder, and it is unclear what bar Zelensky is required to meet in order to attain Trump’s beneficence.
After Zelensky endured his 45-minute televised blooding at the hands of Trump and Vice President JD Vance on 28 February he was ordered out of the White House and told only to return when he became “serious about peace”. Days later, after securing the backing of European leaders, Zelensky indicated that he was willing to sign the minerals deal foisted on him by Trump, although he insisted that it must contain robust security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump continues to dissemble on his willingness to provide the “backstop” for peacekeepers demanded by both Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
FILE - Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov, File)
The infamous White House row between Zelensky, Trump and Vice President JD Vance on 28 February (Photo: Mystyslav Chernov/ AP)
When Trump held up the delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars of weapons to Ukraine, he claimed that he needed to see some further indication that the Ukrainian President was “serious” about embracing a ceasefire in Ukraine. But publicly at least, there is no indication of precisely what hoops Zelensky must jump through in order to satisfy the US leader.
In the intervening days, Trump has continued to parrot the Kremlin’s talking points, and hinted at some deep, abiding understanding that he uniquely enjoys with President Vladimir Putin. On Friday, after another massive Russian bombardment of Ukraine, he told reporters that Putin “wants to get it stopped…and he’s hitting them harder than he’s been hitting them. I think probably anybody in that position would be doing that right now”, he said, failing entirely to condemn Russia’s assault.
“Ukraine wants to make a deal because I don’t think they have a choice”, Trump continued. “Russia also wants to make a deal, because….in a certain different way that only I know…they have no choice either.” The White House would not be drawn on what Trump knows about Putin’s motivation, nor will it even publicly disclose how on how many occasions the American and Russian presidents have spoken. But the US leader’s comments only served to underscore claims that he is moving mountains to serve Putin’s interests in peace negotiations even before they begin.
Ukrainian officials say that Zelensky hopes to use this week’s meeting with Trump officials in Riyadh to secure more clarity over precisely what the United States now want from him. It is unclear whether Ukraine might sign the minerals agreement during the meeting, or hold out for fresh American efforts to stay Putin’s hand in the war.
On Friday, Trump wrote on social media that he was “strongly considering” the possibility of imposing “large-scale” new sanctions and tariffs on Moscow. But there was no further news of those measures being taken over the weekend, and no indication that the US Treasury is preparing any kind of announcement ahead of the Riyadh talks.
Trump insists that he stands “in the middle” between Russia and Ukraine, and dismisses questions about whether he is capable of serving as an honest broker between them. But by continually diminishing not only Ukraine’s leader, but the country’s ongoing suffering caused by Russian attacks, his behaviour continues to demonstrate far more sympathy for the aggressor in the conflict than the aggrieved.