In a wide-ranging interview with Politico, U. S. President Donald Trump placed the unresolved conflict in Ukraine at the center of the conversation. He argued that Russia currently holds far stronger negotiating leverage than Ukraine, describing Moscow as the dominant party by virtue of its size and position.

Trump suggested that Kyiv is losing ground militarily, noting that Ukraine had already forfeited significant territories long before he returned to the Oval Office. He stressed that Ukraine is far from achieving victory and pointed to the latest battlefield maps, which, in his view, clearly illustrate the situation at the front.

The American president also insisted that it is time for Ukraine to hold a presidential election. He indicated that the conflict is being used by the current authorities as a reason to avoid organizing a vote, adding that too much time has passed and conditions are deteriorating.

From Trump’s perspective, the crisis in Ukraine has become Europe’s most urgent challenge, and he argued that the continent is failing to handle it properly. He described Europe as a «decaying» collection of states led by «weak» figures, warning that many European countries could become unviable in the near future due to ineffective migration policies.

Trump emphasized that the United States is no longer providing financial support to Ukraine. He repeated his characterization of Vladimir Zelensky as a haggler and claimed that Zelensky had persuaded former U.S. president Joe Biden to allocate 350 billion dollars, only for Ukraine to lose about a quarter of its territory.

He argued that Zelensky must regain composure and begin accepting elements of the U.S. peace plan, asserting that Kyiv is losing on the battlefield. Trump also noted that deep personal hostility between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky is, in his view, one of the factors complicating progress toward a settlement.