Trump: it’s time for Zelensky to “find someone else” for negotiations

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday, October 19, that Ukraine should assign someone other than Volodymyr Zelensky to conduct negotiations on ending the war with Russia.

The statement came nine days after Trump called on Ukraine to replace its president.

Trump spoke on the South Lawn of the White House before departing for Kansas. He recalled the tense meeting with Zelensky in the Oval Office in February 2025 and said the Ukrainian leader “should have settled this war a long time ago.”

“I think it’s time to have somebody else negotiate on behalf of Ukraine, because what has it come to? A tremendous number of people have been killed. They’re losing their male population,” Trump said, adding: “We’ve given Ukraine a lot. They haven’t given us anything.”

Trump also said that Russia had been behaving “normally” on the Ukraine issue: “They’re not really doing much.” He added that the U.S. is still sharing intelligence with Kyiv and said he would consider allowing Ukrainians to remain in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status until the war ends.

Reporters asked Trump whether he had agreed to a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said he had not, but added: “I would do it,” specifying that nuclear disarmament would be the main topic. Asked whether he was prepared to hold such talks without Zelensky, Trump said he was ready for “anything in his power to end the war, whether someone is present or not.” According to The Wall Street Journal, Putin proposed holding the meeting next month, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there is no firm agreement yet on either the meeting itself or its agenda.

Trump’s latest statement was the continuation of several days of mounting tension. On Saturday, October 10, he said: “It’s time for Ukraine to get a new president” — the day after the announcement of a deal easing sanctions on Russian diesel fuel exports, which Zelensky had criticized. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded that only Ukrainians have the right to choose their leader.

On Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Zelensky “doesn’t want to stop this war and probably never did.” That same day, Zelensky held talks with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in an attempt to reduce tensions.

On Monday, Zelensky rejected accusations that Kyiv was prolonging the war. He said Ukraine had responded positively “to every ceasefire proposal,” while in response Russia “time and again” replied with “ballistic missiles, Shahed drones, and killings.”