US President Donald Trump has questioned America’s substantial expenditure in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the President raised concerns about the allocation of funds sent to Ukraine and criticized the country’s leadership for initiating the war and allowing it to continue for so long.
Addressing reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s concerns about being excluded from the peace talks between Russia and the USA in Saudi Arabia. The American leader, who asserted that he has the power to end the war, implied that Kyiv was partly to blame for the conflict.
Following the meeting on Tuesday, US and Russian officials announced their agreement to explore “economic and investment opportunities” to end the war.
Ukraine expressed concerns over its absence from the meeting, stating that any outcome without the presence of the European Union would be unacceptable. Kyiv insisted that the result of the meeting would be unfamiliar to its people.
Zelensky and European leaders worry that Trump could push for a peace settlement that favors Vladimir Putin.
“Today I heard, ‘Oh, we weren’t invited’. Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it three years ago – you should have never started it. You could have made a deal,” Trump said in response to concerns about the absence of European leaders and Zelensky from the meeting.
The US leader also pointed out that he had seen no accounting of how his country’s military aid to Ukraine is being spent.
“I think I have the power to end this war,” he stated.
European leaders remain concerned and are looking for the best possible ways to enhance security on their continent, believing that any agreement from the Riyadh meeting will not be in their or Ukraine’s favor.
After the talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that an agreement had been made to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks and explore “opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.”
