Trump said in a media interview, "If I weren't president, there would already be three wars... The situation is also very big, and Europe is not doing very well."
Regarding the peace talks on the Ukraine conflict, he accused Zelenskyy of "not looking at the agreement."
Trump publicly stated: "Ukraine should hold elections. The war is an excuse. Zelenskyy might win or might not win."
American media reported that envoy Witko and son-in-law Kushner demanded Zelenskyy to immediately agree to abandon the entire eastern part of Ukraine and the nuclear power plant, without any commitment of security guarantees. Compared with previous conditions, these are more stringent.
Trump's remarks mainly focused on three aspects:
Accusing Ukraine of being "undemocratic": He believes Ukraine has long avoided holding elections under the pretext of war, and has reached the point where it is "no longer a democratic country." He publicly stated that Ukraine should hold elections and said Zelenskyy "might win or might not win."
Expressing dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy: Trump openly said he was "disappointed" that Zelenskyy had not read the U.S. proposed "peace plan," implying that Zelenskyy is an obstacle to the peace talks.
According to Politico, a number of Trump's core advisors have secretly met with former Ukrainian President Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, political opponents of Zelenskyy. This has been interpreted as a way to pressure Zelenskyy while preparing for potential political changes.
Trump's latest statements are a publicization of his "extreme pressure" strategy towards Ukraine. Its core logic is to partially attribute the prolonged war to Ukraine's "undemocratic" nature and the lack of cooperation from its leaders, using this as a means to force Ukraine to accept a rapid peace plan that may involve significant territorial concessions. This process is intensifying the contradictions between the US and Europe and putting Ukraine in an unprecedented geopolitical straitjacket. Of course, the hardest hit is Zelenskyy, who faces the risk of being removed at any time. Once that happens, he is likely to face a thorough cleanup from multiple sides.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1851068267172864/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.