Trump explained why he doesn't want to involve Ukraine in negotiations: "They had three years to reach an agreement."

US President Donald Trump criticized Ukraine following talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Riyadh, expressing disappointment over Kyiv's reaction to not being invited to the negotiations.

He made these comments during a press conference that was broadcast by “Public Broadcasting.”

“I heard they (the Ukrainians) are upset that they don’t have a seat at the negotiating table, but they’ve had a seat for three years and well before that,” he said in response to a BBC correspondent's question at his residence in Florida.

He stated that Ukraine “should have never started this war.”

“This could have been resolved very easily. Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it three years ago. You shouldn’t have started it. You could have made a deal. I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given them almost all the land, everything, almost all the land. And no one would have died,” Trump remarked.

Vladimir Zelensky stated the day before that the Russian-American meeting in Riyadh came as a surprise to Kyiv. He reiterated that the decision to end the war cannot be made without Ukraine's involvement.

According to Bloomberg, citing sources, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wanted Zelensky to be part of the negotiations, but Washington and Moscow insisted on a meeting without Ukraine's participation.

The Ukrainian authorities emphasized that any decisions regarding the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine's involvement.

Background. On February 18, the first talks between the US and Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They lasted for 4.5 hours.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States and Russia agreed on four principles following the negotiations. According to him, these principles include:

• the restoration of the functionality of embassies in Washington and Moscow,
• the appointment of a high-level team from the US to assist in negotiations and work towards ending the war against Ukraine in a manner that is sustainable and acceptable to all parties involved,
• the initiation of discussions, analysis, and exploration of both geopolitical and economic cooperation that can conclude the war,
• five individuals from those who participated in the talks in Saudi Arabia will remain engaged in this process to ensure its productivity.

In addition, Trump stated at the press conference that Zelensky has a 4% approval rating and demands elections, “if Ukraine wants a seat at the negotiating table.”

He mentioned that the demand for presidential elections in Ukraine is not a “Russian desire.”