Trump presses Zelensky to seek peace deal, warns situation will 'get very bad'

President Donald Trump called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue a peace deal with Russia, warning that the situation could worsen significantly if Ukraine refuses to come to the table.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday (local time), Trump said the time had come to reach an agreement on the Russia-Ukraine war. "We want Zelensky to make a deal. He can make a deal," Trump said.

"Zelensky has to want to end this war," Trump added. "If he doesn't want to, things will get very bad."

Trump also pointed to the disparity in population and military manpower between the two countries. "Russia is a very big country. They have a lot of people, a lot of people to mobilize," he said. "Ukraine doesn't have a lot of people to mobilize."

The remarks were widely interpreted as Trump signaling that Ukraine should pursue a negotiated end to the war rather than continue fighting, given Russia's advantage in human resources.

Trump also stressed the enormous cost the United States and Europe have borne in supporting Ukraine.

"We've given $350 billion to Ukraine," he said. "The United States has spent a tremendous amount of money, and Europe has spent a tremendous amount of money." He added that American taxpayers and European allies had grown weary of the prolonged conflict.

Highlighting the economic burden of that support, Trump said the US had provided Ukraine with massive assistance but had gotten "nothing back" except higher diesel prices.

Trump again called for a peace deal, citing both Russia's manpower advantage and the financial toll on the United States. He did not, however, specify any concrete terms or a deadline for negotiations.