US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to reach a settlement to end the war in Ukraine, while accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of repeatedly passing up opportunities to negotiate peace.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews after returning from a campaign rally in Tennessee, Trump said: “I think that Russia would like to make a deal, and we’ve had it back and forth. But Russia would like to make a deal.” He added: “This is something that could have been solved many times, but for whatever reason, Zelensky does not want to make a deal.”
“President Putin would like to see a settlement strongly,” Trump said, describing what the Russian leader told him during a telephone call on Friday. Trump also renewed his criticism of Zelenskyy for not holding presidential elections during the conflict, saying: “I think he should have an election, and he could have settled this thing many times.” Read the full account.
The diesel deal behind the friction
Trump’s remarks came amid fresh tension between Washington and Kyiv over American moves to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports. Trump announced on Friday that Russia would supply diesel to the United States and global markets — a move framed as a response to fuel shortages and rising prices linked to the continuing conflict in Iran.
Zelenskyy criticised the decision sharply, warning that letting Russia earn more from energy exports would strengthen Moscow’s ability to sustain its military campaign. He called the deal a “weak decision” and a “gift to Putin.” Trump countered that Zelenskyy had disobeyed his orders not to strike Russian refineries, and that those attacks risk worsening global fuel shortages. Washington’s political battles are intensifying as the final campaign month opens.
What happens next
Prospects for talks look uncertain. Putin told Trump on the Friday call that peace talks with Ukraine are unlikely to resume right away, according to a Kremlin readout cited by regional outlets, with Moscow pointing to Ukrainian drone attacks during Russia’s recent parliamentary elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the war as a dangerous stalemate.
Energy analysts have cast doubt on Trump’s claim that the diesel arrangement will bring prices down quickly. For now, the diplomacy remains where it has been for months: all sides talking about a deal, with none yet in sight. Congress, meanwhile, has been clearing its own legislative backlog.
