Trump Cranks Up the Pressure on Defiant Zelenskyy, Says He Must 'Start Accepting Things'

As Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine nears its fourth year, President Donald Trump delivered a blunt assessment Monday — one that Ukraine’s leadership immediately rejected.

In a candid interview with Politico, President Trump warned that ending the conflict will likely require acknowledging a painful reality: Russia’s military advances in eastern Ukraine are unlikely to be reversed on the battlefield. The former Biden-era strategy of “fight forever” is dead, Trump suggested, and it’s time for Ukraine to confront the situation as it is, not as Western diplomats wish it to be.

Ukraine’s defiant president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, fired back the same day, vowing never to accept the territorial losses — even as the war grinds toward stalemate and Ukraine faces dwindling manpower and ammunition.

Trump, laying out the logic behind his peace plan, noted Russia’s overwhelming military size compared to Ukraine’s. While he praised Ukrainian bravery, he emphasized that sheer numbers matter.

“I give Ukraine a lot of … a lot of … I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that,” he said.

“But you know, at some point, size will win, generally. And this is a massive size, uh … you … when you take a look at the numbers, I mean, the numbers are just crazy.”

Trump’s peace proposal — intended to end the worst European conflict since World War II — has been welcomed in Moscow but fiercely criticized by Kyiv and its Western backers, who claim it requires too many concessions. Yet Trump has made clear that the endless-war mindset of the former administration is no longer acceptable.

Pressed by Politico on whether Zelenskyy faced a deadline to accept the deal, Trump suggested patience was running thin.

“Well, he’s gonna have to get on the ball and start, uh, accepting things,” Trump said. “You know, when you’re losing, ’cause he’s losing …”

Zelenskyy, however, insisted he has no authority to agree to territorial concessions under Ukrainian law — or moral law. Following meetings in London with leaders from Britain, France, and Germany, he told reporters, as quoted by The Washington Post:

“Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” he said. “That is what we are fighting for.”

President Trump used the interview to remind Americans that the war erupted during former President Joe Biden’s tenure — and that Democratic weakness helped create the crisis long before Russia’s 2022 invasion.

In 2014, he noted, then-President Barack Obama allowed Russia to seize and annex Crimea with barely a response, emboldening Vladimir Putin.

“Well, and you know when this conflict really began, though?” Trump said. “It was simmering for years, but, uh, when Obama gave up Crimea, that was a big thing.”

As he has repeatedly emphasized, the catastrophe was entirely avoidable.

“This is not a war that should’ve happened. This is a war that would’ve never happened if I were president,” Trump said. “So sad. Millions of people are dead. Many, many soldiers.”

With Biden gone and Trump back in the Oval Office, the White House’s posture toward Ukraine has shifted sharply — from unlimited checks to demanding results, realism, and a pathway to peace. Whether Zelenskyy can adapt remains to be seen.