Kremlin 'Fully Agrees' With Trump's Criticism of Zelensky
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia fully agrees with U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over stalled peace efforts. European leaders meeting in Brussels, meanwhile, offered Zelensky unconditional support.
The Kremlin said on Friday that it fully agrees with U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The criticism concerns stalled peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine, whose war has now lasted more than four and a half years. It shows that Moscow and Washington currently partly align in assessing the deadlock in talks, while Europe sides with Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a daily briefing that Zelensky's unwillingness to take responsibility and enter a peace process is unambiguous. On this point, he said, the Kremlin fully shares Trump's view.
Trump's remarks
Trump voiced his criticism in an interview with the Newsmax outlet. He said Zelensky claims to want a settlement but does not. Trump also suggested that Russia and Ukraine will reach a ceasefire after the Ukrainian leader leaves office. In his words, both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky want the war to end, but he finds Zelensky harder to deal with than Putin.
Russian demands and Europe's stance
Putin continues to demand that Ukraine hand over full control of the Donetsk region as a precondition for any ceasefire deal. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected that condition. Sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg last month that Putin expects Russian forces to take full control of the Donetsk region by late February 2027.
At a summit in Brussels, European leaders pushed back against the widening rift between Washington and Kyiv and offered Zelensky unconditional backing as winter approaches. According to reports, European officials nonetheless plan to privately urge Zelensky to tone down his public criticism of Trump.
