President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin are “stupid” if they don’t soon reach a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
“I believe they’re at a point now where they come together and get a deal done, and if they don’t, they’re stupid,” Trump said during a meandering speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “It goes for both of them, and I know they’re not stupid, but if they don’t get this done, they are stupid. So I don’t want to insult anyone, but you got to get this deal done.”
Trump had invited the Ukrainian president to meet with him on the sidelines of the event. But a Ukrainian official told MS NOW on Wednesday that Zelenskyy was planning to stay in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials had said Zelenskyy was prepared to travel to Davos if the White House agreed to a bilateral meeting, but the White House has not committed to that meeting.
Trump said he would meet with Zelenskyy “later today.” He later clarified to reporters that he would meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday. But it remained unclear whether Zelenskyy had agreed to come to Davos.
Ukrainian officials had been hopeful that Zelenskyy and Trump would meet to sign two documents at the event. The first would cement security agreements for Ukraine in peace deal negotiations, and the second would create an $800 billion economic support package for postwar reconstruction.
The announcement of the $800 billion “prosperity plan” by European and U.S. officials in Davos this week was reportedly derailed by European opposition to Trump’s threats to acquire Greenland, the Financial Times reported, citing six officials familiar with the talks. The outlet also said there was opposition to Trump’s “Board of Peace” plan to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
“What happens is, oftentimes, we’ll have a deal with Russia, Russia is set, and President Zelenskyy will not do it,” Trump said Wednesday during a Q&A with reporters after his speech. “You saw that when he was in the Oval Office. I was not happy. And then we’ll have President Zelenskyy wants to make a deal, and Putin doesn’t want to make the deal. It’s a very difficult balance.”
Trump said later during the interview that “we’re reasonably close to a deal” to end the war in Ukraine. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Putin.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.
Vaughn Hillyard is a senior White House reporter for MS NOW.