President Trump’s highly publicized promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in a day” has spectacularly failed to materialize, and he is now shifting the blame for the stalled peace talks entirely onto Ukrainian President Zelensky. It’s an interesting turn of events, especially since Trump has been so confident about brokering an agreement since winning his second term.
The president is pointing the finger at the victim of the invasion, claiming the Ukrainian leader is solely responsible for the lack of progress in U.S.-led diplomatic efforts. When asked directly what was standing in the way of a resolution, the president gave a remarkably short, one-word answer: “Zelensky.”
According to The Daily Beast, Trump insists that Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to conclude the nearly four-year invasion, claiming, “I think he’s ready to make a deal.” He quickly added that he thinks Ukraine is “less ready to make a deal.” Unsurprisingly, the Kremlin publicly agreed with President Trump’s remarks on Thursday, January 15, 2026. This stance is a huge contrast to European allies, who have long maintained that Moscow isn’t genuinely interested in peace, but instead wants to seize more territory while avoiding new Western sanctions.
So you can’t solve all the problems in a single day
The core reason these recent U.S.-led diplomatic discussions are stuck centers on territorial concessions. American negotiators have broadly urged Kyiv to consider giving up control of the eastern Donbas region in exchange for a finalized agreement with Russia and solid security guarantees afterward. This would, theoretically, prevent future Russian attacks.
This is a massive sticking point because Zelensky has repeatedly rejected any suggestion of territorial concessions. He maintains that Ukraine’s constitution actually bars the government from surrendering any of its land to Moscow. Trump seems not to care and just wants to be the person who ends wars.
This isn’t the first time the two leaders have clashed. Trump, who previously promised he would end the war “in a day” if he won a second term, has frequently sparred with Zelensky over the past year. Last March, a public disagreement in the Oval Office derailed a widely promoted agreement that would have given the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Zelensky left the White House without signing the deal. Following that incident, Trump briefly halted both military assistance and intelligence sharing, though those were restored the following month.
While the interactions between the two presidents have recently improved, and Ukrainian officials have been deeply involved in the current peace talks, the reality on the ground tells a much different story than the one President Trump is selling. Russian forces are absolutely continuing their offensive in Ukraine despite Trump’s claims that his pressure campaign is gaining traction with the Kremlin.
In mid-January, Moscow confirmed a major escalation when it launched a hypersonic Oreshnik missile into western Ukraine near the EU border. Western officials rightly condemned this high-speed strike, which hit infrastructure in the Lviv region, as an escalation even as peace proposals were actively being discussed.
Russia has also repeatedly carried out huge waves of missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, while diplomatic talks have continued. In December, Ukrainian authorities reported hundreds of drones and missiles targeting power stations and other sites across the country, causing widespread damage and multiple injuries even as discussions on ending the conflict persisted. Zelensky himself warned in his New Year’s message that Moscow is deliberately continuing its war with nighttime shelling and large drone attacks.
When Reuters asked President Trump why he believes Zelensky has resisted moving forward with peace talks, Trump simply said, “I just think he’s, you know, having a hard time getting there.” It seems like the political pressure to deliver on his promise is now leading to some pretty intense finger-pointing.
Published: Jan 15, 2026 07:15 pm