US President Donald Trump on Sunday called Ukraine ungrateful and targeted the European Union for continuing trade ties with Russia. Trump's outburst comes as officials from Ukraine, the European Union and the US are discussing Trump's 28-point peace plan to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Trump's outburst signals he is seemingly unhappy with the "amendments" Ukraine has reportedly sought in the peace plan. A while ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's delegation is working out "doable solutions" in Geneva to end the conflict. "Currently, there is an understanding that the American proposals may include a number of elements based on Ukrainian perspectives and critical for Ukrainian national interests. Further work is ongoing to make all elements truly effective in achieving the main goal anticipated by our people: to finally put an end to the bloodshed and war," Zelenskyy tweeted.
However, Trump, in a post on Truth Social, charged that Ukraine has expressed "zero gratitude" for the US's efforts. Trump said the war wouldn't have happened if there were strong, proper leadership in both countries. Joe Biden was the president of US when the war broke out.
"It began long before I took office for a second term, during the sleepy Joe Biden administration, and has only gotten worse," Trump said. "I inherited a war that should have never happened, a war that is a loser for everyone, especially the millions of people that have so needlessly died," he added.
"Ukraine 'leadership' has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia. The USA continues to sell massive amounts of weapons to NATO, for distribution to Ukraine (crooked Joe gave everything, free, free, free, including 'big' money!)," Trump charged in his post.
The 28-point blueprint drawn up by the US to end the nearly four-year war has sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals. The plan permits many Russian demands that Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory.
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In a Telegram post, Ukraine's top security official, Rustem Umerov, said, "We appreciate our American partners working closely with us to understand our concerns to reach this critical point, and we expect to make more progress today."
