Trump: Zelenskyy is Impediment to Peace; Polish Official says ‘Not so!’

Before the end of 2025 I wrote that President Trump is the greatest impediment to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Today, Trump wrote that in his mind Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is standing in the way of peace while the Russian führer Putin is ready to reach peace.

Fortunately for Ukraine, Poland’s Prime Minster Donald Tusk countered by stating that the Kremlin is actually standing in the way.

The American president told Reuters on January 14 that Putin is ready to reach a deal to end Russia’s full-scale war but Ukraine is not.

“I think (Putin's) ready to make a deal. I think Ukraine is less ready to make a ‍deal,” Trump claimed, saying that Zelenskyy is holding up the effort. “We have to get President Zelenskyy to go along ‌with it," he said.

When asked if the US is open to providing security guarantees to Ukraine, Trump did not rule out the assurance. “If we can get something done, we’d help. They’re losing 30,000 soldiers a month between them and Russia. Now, Europe is going to help us with that,” he said.

Trump continues to be glib and inexact with his statements about the war. He should know by now that security guarantees for Ukraine are among the top promises that Kyiv demands. It’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of must before the deal is sealed. Yes, troops on both sides, the victim and aggressor, are being killed with Russians suffering more. However, Ukrainian civilians are being killed by Russians in far greater numbers than Russians.

Zelenskyy is continuing to demand security assurances that would guarantee Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty in case Russia invades Ukraine again – a realistic likelihood taking into account Moscow’s long history of attacking Ukraine. The Ukrainian president said he would not entertain discussions about ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia.

As for Donald Tusk’s observation on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda, the Polish official’s comment came in response to Trump’s belief that Zelenskyy, rather than Putin, is slowing down a potential peace deal.

“It is Russia who rejected the peace plan prepared by the US, not Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” Tusk said.

He added that Russia’s only response to US peace efforts has been further missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, which haven’t abated since the New Year regardless of the severe winter weather.

“This is why the only solution is to strengthen pressure on Russia. And you all know it,” he said.

Indeed, pressure in the form of a united front against Russia and increased sanctions to the level of national pain could hopefully force Russia to end the war and evacuate from Ukraine.