Zelensky wants more American money. Trump said no.
The Ukrainian president complained to Axios that Trump keeps demanding concessions from Kyiv, not Moscow. He called it “not fair.” This came as peace talks in Geneva collapsed after two hours.
“It’s not fair that President Trump more often calls on Ukraine to compromise than Russia. I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision.”
We are working together with the team to bring real peace closer. The priority is security guarantees for Ukraine. Ukrainian representatives have clear directives on every aspect of the negotiations. I expect a detailed report following all the meetings. pic.twitter.com/PCQpQwrnYO
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 18, 2026
The White House responded with facts.
From The Independent:
“I think the president would respond to that by saying he does not think it’s fair that thousands of Ukrainians are losing their lives and Russians, too, in this deadly war. I think the president views this entire situation as very unfair, not just for Russians and Ukrainians who have lost their lives, but also for the American people and the American taxpayer who were footing the bill for this war effort before President Trump put a stop to it.”
Talks in Geneva ended abruptly after just two hours. Zelensky acknowledged “some groundwork” was done but said “positions differ.” Translation: they’re nowhere close.
As of today, we cannot say that the outcome of the meetings in Geneva is sufficient. The military representatives discussed certain issues seriously and substantively. However, sensitive political matters, issues of possible compromises, and the necessary meeting of leaders have… pic.twitter.com/wctJOAMsxe
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 18, 2026
Zelensky also accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage.” But the White House sees it differently.
From The Guardian:
“Leavitt said there had been ‘meaningful progress made’ with pledges ‘to continue to work towards a peace deal together.’ She added that Trump views the war as ‘very unfair’ for all involved, including American taxpayers.”
Zelensky wants more weapons and more time. Trump wants a deal that ends the bleeding—including the bleeding of American wallets.
Today, at President Trump’s direction, the United States moderated a third set of trilateral discussions with Ukraine and Russia. Thank you to the Swiss Confederation for being gracious hosts for today’s meetings.
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) February 18, 2026
President Trump’s success in bringing both sides of this war… pic.twitter.com/j3fwQheMmG
From Reuters:
“Two days of peace talks in Geneva between Ukraine and Russia ended on Wednesday without a breakthrough. Zelenskyy said after the talks that ‘some groundwork’ had been done, ‘but for now the positions differ, because the negotiations were not easy.'”
The war enters its fifth year next week. American taxpayers spent over $100 billion before Trump cut off the spigot.
Fair or not, Zelensky has a choice to make. Trump’s already made his.
