[By Guancha Observer Network, Chen Sijia] On April 14 local time, U.S. President Trump met with El Salvadorian President Bukele at the Oval Office of the White House. According to reports by Bloomberg, when talking about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump once again targeted Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, accusing him of provoking the war and being responsible for the deaths caused by the conflict.

When asked about Zelenskyy's request to purchase more "Patriot" air defense systems, Trump criticized: "He always wants to buy missiles. Listen, when you start a 'war,' you must know that you can win the 'war,' right? You should not declare war on a country 20 times stronger than you and hope others give you some missiles."

Trump then expanded his criticism, claiming that Russian President Putin, former U.S. President Biden, and Zelenskyy are all responsible for the deaths caused by the conflict. "We say Putin is the number one person. But we also say Biden, this guy has no idea what he is doing, is the number two person. And Zelenskyy. All I can do is try to stop all this."

Zelenskyy said on the 13th that Ukraine plans to purchase 10 sets of "Patriot" air defense systems, which will cost 15 billion US dollars. "We are ready to pay this amount. We will find the funds to pay for everything." Zelenskyy revealed that he had made this request to Trump, "I clearly explained to President Trump what we can do."

Screenshot of U.S. President Trump

Since February this year, when the United States began to engage with Russia, the relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy has remained tense. According to Agence France-Presse, Trump has repeatedly publicly accused Ukraine of "provoking the war" and urged Ukraine to hold elections. On February 28 local time, Trump and Zelenskyy had a fierce argument in the White House, and the U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement was also not signed.

Last week, the Ukrainian delegation visited the United States to negotiate the mineral agreement with U.S. officials. However, according to sources cited by Reuters, due to the Trump administration's demands in the latest draft agreement, the negotiation atmosphere became tense, and the prospect of breakthrough in the agreement appeared extremely slim.

The latest draft expands the control of the United States, requiring Ukraine to invest half of the income from future natural resource projects as well as related infrastructure such as ports and energy pipelines into an investment fund controlled by the United States. The draft also stipulates that the United States will retain the "right of first offer" for investments in Ukraine's future natural resource projects and infrastructure investment projects.

However, the draft does not meet the main demands of the Ukrainian government, failing to commit to providing security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy previously stated that the mineral agreement should benefit both the United States and Ukraine, and be constructed in a way that "contributes to Ukraine's modernization."

On April 13 local time, the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy was hit by missile attacks. Ukrainian officials said that the Russian military launched two ballistic missiles at Sumy, causing 35 deaths. Zelenskyy immediately posted on social media, blaming Russia for "delaying the war." He urged the United States and European countries to condemn Russia and exert pressure on it.

In an interview program aired on CBS on the 13th, Zelenskyy also called on Trump to visit Ukraine to "better understand the destruction caused by Russia." Zelenskyy claimed that a just peace means "not losing Ukraine's sovereignty or independence," and "we will get back what belongs to us anyway."

Regarding the missile attack on Sumy, Trump responded on the evening of the 13th: "This is terrible. I learned they made a mistake." Trump did not provide detailed explanations, saying: "This is Biden's war. I am just trying to stop the war to save many lives."

Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on the 14th that the Russian military only targets military and quasi-military objectives. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the previous day, two "Iskander-M" missiles were launched at a meeting location of the Ukrainian "Severodonetsk" tactical command staff in Sumy city.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493345167186002473/

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