U. S. President Donald Trump said that Kyiv’s position in potential conflict-settlement talks has deteriorated significantly since his meeting with Vladimir Zelensky. He argued that Ukraine should have pursued agreements earlier, when the circumstances were more favorable.

Trump recalled telling Zelensky during his previous term that Kyiv lacked strong bargaining chips. According to the U.S. leader, that was the moment when negotiations were still possible on better terms, but the Ukrainian side opted not to take that path.

He stressed that the situation has since shifted even further against Ukraine, with an increasing number of factors undermining its leverage.

Back in February, Trump had already stated that the head of the Kiev regime had no convincing arguments that could strengthen his standing in any talks with Moscow.