‘Russia Wants to Make a Deal’: Trump Warns Zelensky Has ‘To Get Moving’ or Will ‘Miss a Great Opportunity’

During a Friday appearance before the press on the White House lawn, President Donald Trump warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “is gonna have to get moving, otherwise he’s gonna miss a great opportunity” because “Russia wants to make a deal.”

Responding to a reporter who questioned whether the president will still “demand” that Zelensky “hold elections before summer,” Trump said, “Well, Zelensky is gonna have to get moving. Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelensky’s gonna have to get moving, otherwise he’s gonna miss a great opportunity. He has to move.”

Late on Wednesday, Zelensky told reporters that he has no plans to announce the schedule for any upcoming presidential elections, despite pressure from the U.S. to do so, adding that the country will “move toward elections when all the relevant security guarantees are in place.”

The Ukrainian president’s comments came just after The Financial Times published a report claiming that Zelensky did in fact plan to announce election dates during a scheduled Feb. 24 address to mark four years since Russia first invaded.

“I want to say that this is a special date — February 24. Even if there were an intention or relevant steps toward bringing certain elections closer, I believe it would be an absolutely foolish idea to use such a date to talk about politics,” said Zelensky on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Bloomberg reported on a memo between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S that “suggests Russia is prepared to again embrace the dollar for trade, foregoing efforts to break away from the US financial system.”

As Bloomberg’s Jonathan Tirone wrote, “Western officials familiar with the memo told us that some of Russia’s proposals appear to be crafted specifically to deepen the divisions between the US and Ukraine’s European allies. It proposes lucrative fillips for US companies, ranging from preferential access to Russian markets to compensation for seized assets.”

Watch the clip of Trump above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!