US President Donald Trump held a press conference to evaluate the developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and the ceasefire process. Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, of not ending the war.

ZELENSKY RESPONDS TO HARSH CRITICISM Zelensky swiftly responded to Trump’s harsh criticisms. Zelensky claimed that the US had helped in bringing Russian leader Putin out of isolation. The Ukrainian leader also reacted to Trump’s statements that most of the support for Ukraine came from the US. Responding to Trump’s claims that the support for the Ukrainian President had dropped to 4%, Zelensky cited a survey stating that 58% of Ukrainians trusted him as their leader. Zelensky stated that the claim of support dropping to 4% was Russian misinformation and expressed disappointment that Trump’s team resided in a misinformation field.

“PROTECTING UKRAINE, I CANNOT SELL MY COUNTRY” Addressing Trump’s request for $500 billion worth of rare earth elements in exchange for aid to Ukraine, Zelensky rejected the offer. He stated that the proposal required Ukraine to provide 50% of the minerals to the US and did not include the security guarantees he requested. Zelensky firmly stated, “I am protecting Ukraine, I cannot sell it, I cannot sell our state.” Zelensky mentioned that Trump’s offer was not serious but expressed willingness to work on a “serious document” involving security guarantees. Zelensky pointed out that NATO could provide the best guarantee for Ukraine.

“THE COST OF WAR HAS REACHED $320 BILLION” Zelensky announced that the cost of the war in Ukraine had reached $320 billion so far, indicating discrepancies between the data of Kiev and the US on this matter. He mentioned that Ukraine received around $120 billion from Ukrainian sources and $200 billion from the US and the European Union, with the US providing $67 billion in budget support and $67 billion in weapon aid.