WASHINGTON, March 1. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has overplayed his hand, and he has to announce the intention to make peace, US President Donald Trump said.
"We had a meeting today, as you know, with President Zelensky, and I would say it didn't work out exactly great. From his standpoint, I think he very much overplayed his hand. We're looking for peace," Trump told reporters.
Asked what Zelensky has to do for talks to the resumed, the US president said: "What he's got to say, I want to make peace. He doesn't have to stand there and say about [Russian President Vladimir] Putin this, Putin that, all negative things. He's got to say, I want to make peace. I don't want to fight a war any longer."
"We're looking for peace. We're not looking for somebody that's going to sign up a strong power and then not make peace because they feel emboldened, and that's what I saw happening. I'm looking for peace. We're not looking to go into a ten-year war and play games. We want peace. And it was just my impression that if we do that (enter into a resources agreement with Ukraine - TASS), if we sign up, he's looking for something that I'm not looking for. He's looking to go on and fight, fight, fight. We're looking to end the death," Trump stressed.
"But he's dealing with a very weak set of cards. If we sign he's dealing with a very strong set of cards, and then he doesn't want to make peace. <…> It's very simple," he added.
Earlier on Friday, Zelensky met with Trump at the White House. Their televised exchange suddenly unraveled into a shouting match, with Trump scolding Zelensky for being disrespectful to the US, and Vice President JD Vance saying that Zelensky had never thanked the country for all the support provided to Kiev. A news conference scheduled to follow the meeting was canceled, and the Ukrainian delegation left the White House earlier than planned. Bilateral talks and the scheduled signing of the deal on Ukrainian mineral resources were thwarted.