Trump explained Vitkoff's words about "selling Ukraine to Russia": "That's how negotiations work"
U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the published conversation between his special envoy Steve Vitoff and Vladimir Putin's advisor Yury Ushakov. According to sources, they discussed the creation of a peace plan and the possibility of "selling Ukraine to Russia".
During a conversation with journalists aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that he did not hear the conversation himself but considers such statements to be "standard negotiation style".
“He needs to sell this to Ukraine. He has to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what dealmakers do. He should say: ‘Look, they want this, you need to convince them.’ This is very typical negotiation behavior,” said the U.S. president.
At the same time, he suggested that Vitoff might have been expressing similar arguments to the Ukrainian side—as a way to seek compromise. When asked about the possible pro-Russian stance of Vitoff, Trump responded that he sees no problem with it.
The president also noted that the war could last for years, and in such a case, Ukraine should seek an agreement, in his opinion:
“Russia has many more soldiers. If Ukraine can make an agreement—that could be good. I think it’s great for both sides. But Ukraine is smaller and has lost many people.”
It was previously reported that in a phone conversation with Ushakov, special envoy Vitoff allegedly proposed a plan with 20 points and mentioned the need to “obtain Donetsk and possibly exchange some territories”.
According to ThePublic.info, the conversation caused political resonance and became a topic of sharp discussions in the U.S. and beyond.
