A few weeks ago, the chances of the Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy administrations signing such a deal looked slim. When the Ukrainian president visited Washington in February to discuss and possibly sign the agreement, longstanding personal tensions with Trump exploded into the open in an extraordinary public argument also involving Vice President J.D. Vance.
Trump suggested Wednesday that the pair’s relationship had improved since then, characterizing the meeting as “beautiful” and expressing confidence that Zelenskyy “wants to make a deal” to end the war.”
The president had an impromptu and friendlier meeting with Zelenskyy in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral last week.
Trump said Wednesday that the agreement would serve as an avenue for the U.S. to recoup funds it has provided to Ukraine throughout its war with Russia, a figure the State Department has placed at $66.5 billion in terms of military assistance.
Since beginning his second term just over 100 days ago, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the U.S. be repaid for at least part of the aid that Washington has sent to Ukraine to help it fight Russia’s three-year-long invasion.
It is unclear how much of the money will go toward repaying the U.S. Svyrydenko said in her post that the agreement “includes no provisions regarding any Ukrainian debt obligations to the United States.”
Despite accusations of treating Moscow more leniently than Kyiv in protracted peace talks with both parties, Trump’s ire was directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he criticized for carrying out widespread strikes on Kyiv despite U.S. officials’ ongoing effort to secure a plan to end the war.
While Putin on Monday announced a temporary ceasefire due to begin next week, there are few signs that he is planning a more long-term cessation in military activity.
Russian strikes on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa overnight Wednesday killed two people and injured 15 more, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said in a post Thursday on Telegram.
Meanwhile, Putin said at a public event Wednesday that a small number of Ukrainian troops are still holed up in Kursk, the only region of Russia partly occupied by Ukrainian troops, where both sides have recently said Kyiv has suffered losses.
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