WASHINGTON, March 21. /TASS/. Russia and Ukraine will enter a full ceasefire very soon, and the issue of dividing Ukrainian territories is being discussed right now, US President Donald Trump has said when responding to questions by journalists in the White House.
"I believe we're going to pretty soon have a full ceasefire [in Ukraine], and then we're going to have a contract. And the contract is being negotiated, the contract in terms of dividing up the lands, etc., etc. It's being negotiated as we speak," the president noted.
He also recalled his meeting with Vladimir Zelensky, which had taken place in Washington on February 28. "The expression I use is, 'some people don't have the cards.' I used that expression about a week and a half ago, right? Somebody was negotiating, who didn't have the cards, who's now, I think, saying that he wants to do it," Trump emphasized. "And I think we're going to have a big deal on that very special something. We’ve got to make a deal on that," the US leader added, providing no further details.
On February 28, Zelensky arrived at the White House for a meeting with Trump. During their conversation in front of the media, an argument erupted, during which Trump pointed out Zelensky’s disrespectful attitude toward the United States, and US Vice President JD Vance stressed Zelensky’s ungratefulness for the support Washington had provided to Kiev. The press conference that was supposed to be held after their meeting was canceled, and the signing of a US-Ukraine mineral deal did not take place. Trump later published a statement on Truth Social saying that Zelensky was disrespectful and not ready for the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
On March 3, Trump described Zelensky’s remark about the conflict being far from over as "the worst statement that could have been made." He warned that "America will not put up with it for much longer." Later that day, Trump said, clearly referring to Zelensky, that if someone does not want peace in Ukraine, that person "will not stay here for long," also expressing confidence in Russia’s desire to resolve the conflict. The White House then announced that Washington had suspended military aid to Kiev.