Edward Marchesi Last Friday, the Kremlin expressed its full support for US President Donald Trump 's harsh words toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky . The comments, which came amid growing diplomatic deadlock , highlighted the dispute over who, between the two sides, is truly responsible for the failure to make progress on a peace agreement.
Dialogue between Washington and Kiev remains increasingly complex, as European authorities seek to mediate the conflict to avoid worsening instability in the region during the winter.
Statements by the Kremlin spokesman
During the regular daily press conference, spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that “ the fact that Zelensky does not want to take responsibility and start a process of peaceful resolution is unequivocal .”
The interlocutor added that the Russian position is fully aligned with the vision expressed by Donald Trump, thus reaffirming the political bond between Moscow and the White House on this specific point.
Trump's accusations in an interview with Newsmax
The former American president, during an interview with Newsmax , said that the conflict could end with a truce only if Volodymyr Zelensky were to resign from his role.
“ He doesn’t want to negotiate. He says he wants to negotiate, but he doesn’t, ” Trump argued, referring to a conflict that has lasted more than four and a half years.
Trump also noted that while both leaders— Vladimir Putin and Zelensky—express a desire to see the war end, he considers Zelensky more difficult to deal with than Putin . This purely subjective assessment adds another layer of tension to the already complex diplomatic dynamics.
Geopolitical context and European reactions
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is maintaining his previous condition: the entire Donetsk region must return to Russian control before any ceasefire agreement is reached. Sources close to the Kremlin indicated last month that Russian forces are aiming for complete control of Donetsk by the end of 2020.
Meanwhile, European leaders gathered in Brussels have expressed unconditional support for Volodymyr Zelensky as winter approaches, attempting to mitigate the growing rift between Washington and Kyiv. Despite their public stance of solidarity, European officials themselves are reportedly considering confidentially advising the Ukrainian president to tone down his open criticism of Donald Trump in order to avoid further fractures in the anti-Russian coalition.