Trump delivered remarks following a trilateral meeting in Paris on Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy described the talks as a “good and productive” discussion, reiterating Ukraine’s commitment to achieving a “just peace.”
“We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a fair manner,” Zelenskyy said in a statement following the meeting. “We discussed the plight of our people, the current situation on the ground, and the roadmap to a just peace. We agreed to maintain our cooperation and keep communication open. Peace through strength is possible.”
Later that day, developments in Syria added another dimension to the political landscape. Syrian rebel forces stormed Damascus, claiming the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. Trump seized the moment to address the Kremlin, pointing to what he described as a “weakened state” in Russia, which he attributed to its involvement in Ukraine and struggles with a faltering economy.
“Assad is gone. He has fled his country,” Trump stated, adding that “his protector, Russia, Russia, Russia—under Vladimir Putin—was no longer interested in preserving him.”
Trump criticized Russia’s incursion into Syria and Ukraine, calling Russia’s presence in Syria unnecessary. “They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lie wounded or dead, in a war that should never have begun and could rage on indefinitely,” he said.
Trump also pointed to the devastating human cost of the war on both sides. “Ukraine has tragically lost 400,000 soldiers, along with countless civilians,” he observed.
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