Trump: Russia will have to give up all of Ukraine

When asked by a journalist about Russiaʼs concessions in the context of a peace agreement, Trump said that Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine.

He said this in an interview with NBC News on May 4.

"Russia will have to give up all of Ukraine. Because Russia wants all of Ukraine. And if I hadnʼt intervened, they would have continued to fight for all of Ukraine right now. Russia doesnʼt just need the piece it has now, it needs all of Ukraine," the US president said.

Now, he said, Putinʼs ambitions have largely faded as he sees that Trump is now "leading the attack".

The American president also did not rule out signing new sanctions against Russia, which Senator Graham had previously spoken about. These include 500% tariffs on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas or uranium. In addition, these sanctions will prohibit US citizens from buying Russian government bonds.

"Well, it depends on whether Russia moves in the direction of achieving peace. We want a peace agreement. We want Russia and Ukraine to agree on a deal. We believe we are close enough and we will save a lot of people from dying. We will also save a lot of money," he said.

Trump said the US was “closer to one side” than the other, without specifying which country. The US president also said that European leaders had repeatedly asked him to call Putin, allegedly because he had not returned their calls.

Trumpʼs position on Russia

On the evening of April 27, Trump made it clear for the third time in a week that he was unhappy with Russiaʼs position. His rhetoric changed somewhat after a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican. Axios reported that Zelensky felt for the first time that he had been able to at least partially change Trumpʼs attitude towards Putin.

The Economist believes that Trumpʼs publication criticizing Putin, which appeared after the meeting at the Vatican, indicates that he understood Zelenskyʼs message. During the conversation, Zelensky asked Trump not to walk away from negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

During the conversation, the Ukrainian president insisted that Putin would not change his position without pressure from the United States. Trump, in response, admitted that he might reconsider his attitude towards Putin. Zelensky called for a return to the idea of an unconditional ceasefire as the basis for negotiations — Ukraine supports it, Russia had refused even earlier. Trump apparently agreed, but there is no official confirmation.

The Ukrainian president also reiterated that Kyiv does not recognize Crimea as Russian. Trump responded that he does not demand this from Zelensky. According to the plan under discussion, the United States can recognize the peninsula, but not Ukraine.

Zelensky stressed that he is ready to compromise for the sake of peace, but on the condition of clear security guarantees.

• Washington is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but a true ceasefire is still in sight. Kyiv has already agreed to halt hostilities in the Black Sea and not attack Russian energy facilities during a 30-day truce. Moscow, in return, has only promised not to attack energy facilities and said it would implement agreements on the Black Sea only after Western sanctions are lifted.
• Marco Rubio said after meeting with allies in Paris on April 18 that the United States could end its mediation efforts in Ukraine within days if it does not see clear signs of a peace deal. Trump confirmed his words the same day.
• Donald Trump has previously threatened to impose massive sanctions against Russia, including banking sanctions and new tariffs, unless there is a ceasefire and a peace agreement with Ukraine. However, he has not done so yet.

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