President Trump’s views on the war in Ukraine are “in tune” with Russia’s policies and he is the only western leader who understands its stance on the invasion, Moscow has said.
Trump suggested this week that President Zelensky was the sole obstacle to peace. He also said that Kyiv would “have to play ball” with a US-backed peace plan that would require it to cede land to Moscow, and accept a ban on Nato membership.
“On the topic of Nato, on the topic of territory, on the topic of how Ukraine is losing land, this is in tune with our understanding,” said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman.
Apartment buildings wrecked in a Russian attack in the Donetsk region on Tuesday
ANATOLII STEPANOV/REUTERS
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, echoed Peskov’s approval. “[Trump] is the only western leader who … began to show understanding of the causes that made the war in Ukraine inevitable and of the hostile actions long pursued by the West,” he told the Russian upper house of parliament.
President Putin has claimed that Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022 to protect Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region from what he falsely described as a campaign of “genocide” by Kyiv. Tens of thousands of civilians in the region have been killed or injured, and entire towns and cities have been flattened by Russia’s forces.
Sir Keir Starmer and the leaders of France and Germany held a call with Trump on Wednesday to discuss Washington’s peace efforts at what they called a “critical moment”. Kyiv’s European allies say that giving in to Russia’s demands would embolden Putin and leave Ukraine dangerously weakened. Zelensky said that Ukraine was “finalising” a 20-point peace plan and that it would be sent to the US in the near future.
Moscow’s comments will add to growing unease among Ukraine and its supporters in Europe that Washington is Russia’s ideological ally. Last month, the US released an updated national security strategy that removed a previous reference to Russia as a direct threat to Washington and expressed support for hard-right political parties in Europe. The Kremlin welcomed the move, calling the new US strategy “largely consistent with our vision”.
Trump also questioned Ukraine’s democratic credentials, echoing a narrative that has been pushed by Moscow. “They haven’t had an election in a long time,” Trump told Politico in an interview on Monday. “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy any more.”
Zelensky’s first term in office was due to expire last year, but elections were postponed under the martial law that was imposed when Russia invaded in 2022. Even Zelensky’s biggest political rivals have said that it would be dangerous and infeasible to hold elections while Ukraine’s biggest cities are being targeted with missiles and drones on a daily basis.
Watch: Ukrainians give their views on holding an election
When asked about Trump’s comments, Zelensky denied that he was “clinging to power” and said the issue of elections was something for Ukrainians to decide themselves. “This is a question for the people of Ukraine, not the people of other countries. With all due respect to our partners,” he said.
However, he said Ukraine would be ready to stage elections within 60 to 90 days if the US and other allies helped to ensure security. He questioned, though, how Ukraine would ensure that frontline soldiers, internally displaced people and Ukrainians living in areas under Russian control would be able to vote.
• Ukraine peace plan: how seriously should we take the proposed deal?
Zelensky also said on Wednesday that American and Ukrainian officials were holding talks on the reconstruction and economic development of Ukraine after the war. He gave no other details. The cost of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction has been estimated at almost £400 billion over the next decade. More than 10 per cent of the country’s housing stock has been destroyed, according to an international report published in February.
Only 11 per cent of Ukrainians are in favour of holding elections before a ceasefire, while 22 per cent want to see one after a ceasefire has been agreed on, according to an opinion poll published in September by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. More than 60 per cent said there should be no nationwide elections until after a final peace agreement and an end to the war.
A US-backed peace plan that was drafted after talks in Florida between American and Russian officials called for elections within 100 days of a peace deal.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said Moscow would try to use any elections during wartime to weaken Kyiv. “There will only be one winner at such elections — Putin,” he said. “Elections during the war is Putin’s idea to destabilise Ukraine and remove Zelensky. Trump is, perhaps inadvertently, pushing Putin’s scenario to destroy Ukraine from within,” he said. “If Trump genuinely wants elections in Ukraine let him guarantee security for voters by closing the sky [above Ukraine] and deploying American troops to Ukraine.”
The White Angels police evacuation unit help a woman to safety after Tuesday’s Russian strike
ANATOLII STEPANOV/REUTERS
Oleksii Goncharenko, an opposition MP, also said elections were impossible. “Everything is spelt out in the constitution. First peace, then elections,” he said.
Trump falsely claimed in February that Zelensky’s approval ratings were down to only 4 per cent. The Ukrainian leader said in response that Trump was a victim of Russian “disinformation”.
Although Zelensky’s popularity has plummeted in recent years, he would still be a frontrunner in any election, according to an opinion poll that was published on Tuesday by the Kyiv-based Info Sapiens research agency.
It found that 20 per cent would vote for Zelensky, while 19 per cent would cast their ballot for Valerii Zaluzhny, the former Ukrainian commander-in-chief who is now Kyiv’s ambassador to Britain. Zaluzhny has so far shown no interest in a political career, however. Almost 25 per cent of respondents said they were undecided or declined to answer.