'Zelenskyy should have never...': Trump blames Ukraine for starting war
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has expressed hope of achieving a peace deal to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
This comes after talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which notably did not include representatives from Ukraine.
The talks concluded with the US and Russia agreeing to set up negotiation teams to resolve the conflict that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Diplomatic developments
Trump hints at potential meeting with Putin
Trump has also hinted at a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking a departure from US policy toward Russia.
The shift has alarmed European leaders who are worried that Washington may make major concessions to Moscow, changing Europe's security architecture.
When asked if he would meet Putin before the end of February, Trump said, "Probably."
Conflict criticism
Trump criticizes Ukraine's complaints about exclusion
Trump also responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's criticism over his country's exclusion from the Riyadh talks.
When asked about Ukrainians feeling "betrayed," Trump said, "I'm very disappointed, I hear that they're upset about not having a seat."
He added, "Today I heard, oh, well, we weren't invited. Well, you've been there for three years... You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."
Election
Zelenskyy's down at 4% approval rating: Trump
Trump also expressed his desire to force elections in Ukraine as part of any diplomatic settlement to the war.
"We have a situation where we haven't had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine—I mean I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating—and the country's been blown to smithereens," Trump said.
He asserted that Ukrainians "are tired" of the war and eager to see "something happen."