Ukraine peace deal hard because of hatred between Putin and Zelenskyy
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed in an interview with Chinese media that Ukraine’s losses were eight times greater than Russia’s.
Ludovic Marin | Afp | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said “abnormal hatred” between Russia and Ukraine leaders remained an obstacle to ending the war, but a peace deal was nearing, as he prepared to resume his role as a peacemaker.
“There is tremendous hatred between President Zelenskyy and President Putin. This is not good. This is not good for the settlements,” Trump said Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“There is abnormal hatred. However, I think Russia wants to make a deal. I think Ukraine wants to make a deal, and we will try to make a deal,” he said, adding: “If they don’t, they are fools.”
Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos on Thursday, while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow later in the day.
While Trump has said both sides are “reasonably close” to a deal, Witkoff told CNBC on Wednesday that Ukraine-related “territory deals” are a final sticking point for ending the nearly four-year war.
Witkoff commented further on the progress of the talks on Thursday, telling the audience in Davos that one final issue remained. “So if both sides want to resolve this, we will resolve it,” Witkoff said in comments reported by Reuters.
The Kremlin said that Zelenskyy will meet with Trump at 13:00 local time (7:00 ET), while Putin’s meeting with Witkoff and Kushner will take place around 19:00-20:00 Moscow time (11-12 ET).
Europe is on the edge
Europe remains largely outside the US-Russia-Ukraine discussions on ending the conflict, despite efforts to defend Kiev to prevent the imposition of unfavorable peace terms on its neighbour.
While Trump and his colleagues believe Putin is ready and willing to accept a ceasefire, Ukraine and other regional leaders are skeptical, saying Russia’s manpower advantage and growing advances on the battlefield mean it is willing to continue the war and is playing against time by prolonging negotiations.
European leaders fear that a bad peace will increase Russia’s determination to return to Ukraine at a later point; Concerns are most acute in Europe’s “frontline” states such as Poland and Finland, which share borders with Russia.
“I can say that regardless of whether a peace agreement is signed or not, Russia will continue to be a threat to Europe, despite all the efforts of President Trump,” Polish President Karol Nawrocki told CNBC on Wednesday.
He told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick: “If peace is signed, Russia will try to regroup its forces and attack Europe in the coming years. If a peace deal is not reached, the war in Ukraine will continue.”
“The Russian Federation has a special mentality, both at the political and social level, to attack and subjugate countries west of its borders. We need to prepare for this, that is, we need to increase our infrastructure, arms spending and defense capacity, as well as build solidarity.” he said.
Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not spending enough on defense, and he did so again in his speech at the WEF, saying the US was being treated unfairly by its NATO partners:
“We achieved nothing, in fact we met NATO’s needs for years… [so] “I think it’s time for NATO to take action.”
Trump said, “We are helping them with Ukraine. If it weren’t for us, I think Putin would have gone all the way.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb told CNBC that his country, which joined NATO in 2023, is used to Russia’s aggression and unpredictability and is doing its part to protect NATO member countries, including the United States.
“Finland does not foresee weakness on the Russian border, on the contrary. Why? Because we always had to do this alone. Now we are also part of Europe. [NATO] “We have an alliance, and we’re actually protecting the United States against potential Russian aggression as well,” he told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick.
“I want to emphasize to all my American friends, listen, we understand this. Finland’s border with Russia is 1,340 kilometers. We have been practicing this since 1917, when we gained independence, and we are pretty good at it,” he said.
