Trump stated that Russia is in a stronger negotiating position than Ukraine

Russia’s position in peace negotiations on Ukraine is stronger than that of Kyiv’s representatives.

This was stated by U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with Politico.

“Well, there’s no doubt about that. Russia’s,” Trump replied when asked the corresponding question by the journalist.

The American leader also called the Russian-Ukrainian conflict “a big problem for Europe,” which, in his opinion, is handling it poorly.

During the interview, Trump called for presidential elections to be held in Ukraine and noted the beauty of Crimea, which became part of Russia following the 2014 referendum on the peninsula.

U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker earlier stated that Trump is assessing the possibilities of putting pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow in an effort to advance negotiations on resolving the conflict. According to him, the administration has achieved noticeable progress, but the U.S. president may walk away from a deal if he considers it unworkable.

According to Axios, the White House is increasing pressure on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, seeking Kyiv’s consent to a new version of the American peace plan. The updated proposal includes tougher conditions, including on territorial issues and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Ukraine, meanwhile, is preparing its own 20-point plan, having removed from it the provisions it considers unacceptable. One of the most difficult issues remains the status of the territories.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that the Donbas regions will in any case remain under Russia’s control.