"Only 4% of Ukrainians support Zelensky," and "Russia attacks Ukraine at just 20% capacity": key points from Trump's speech.

The newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, emphasized Ukraine during his major press conference: he spoke about Volodymyr Zelensky, the elections, as well as Russian attacks and plans, particularly regarding the destruction of the capital. He also mentioned the funds provided by America to support the state, stating that the U.S. leader believes that the Ukrainian president "doesn't even know where half of the funds went." He discussed this and more during a meeting with journalists at his residence in Mar-a-Lago on the night of February 18-19.

"Russia wants to end the war"

According to Donald Trump, Russia does not want the deaths to continue and aims to conclude the hostilities.

"Russia wants to stop this madness that is happening there; their soldiers are dying by the thousands every week," the U.S. president stated.

He described the deaths of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers as "senseless" and noted that "it could have been concluded three years ago."

"They had three years to sit down at the negotiating table," he pointed out.

"Zelensky's approval rating has fallen to 4%" and Ukraine "needs elections"

Donald Trump believes that the situation has reached a point where the leader of the state has an approval rating among citizens of just 4%. He stated that due to the prolonged state of war, the Ukrainian people might feel that "it has been a long time since the last elections" and demand them soon.

"It's not Russia telling Ukraine that they need elections; it's an objective situation," Trump noted.

At the same time, the U.S. president did not disclose where he obtained such statistical data.

Trump is open to considering the deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine

The U.S. president does not rule out the placement of peacekeeping contingents from other countries in Ukraine to ensure peace and deter the Russians. However, he does not mean American troops.

"We will not place troops there, but their troops can be there; I have no objections," Trump stated.

According to him, the most important thing is to ensure "peace" or a "ceasefire."

"A ceasefire is also an option," the U.S. leader remarked.

Russia does not want to destroy Kyiv: "if they wanted to, they would have done it"

Donald Trump believes that Russia is attacking Ukrainian cities at only half of its combat capabilities. He thinks that the Russians do not want to destroy Ukraine, particularly Kyiv.

"Russia is capable of very quickly destroying Ukrainian cities 100%, including Kyiv," he noted.

At the same time, he added that Russia is attacking Ukraine at only 20% of its capacity.

"I have never seen a single report," — Trump on U.S. financial aid to Ukraine

The press conference also featured mentions of the funds that the U.S. provided to Ukraine for support during the full-scale invasion. He believes that Volodymyr Zelensky himself does not know "where half of the funds went."

"President Zelensky said last week that he did not receive even half of the funds that the U.S. sent to Ukraine," Trump noted.

He also added that he has never seen any reports regarding where these funds are directed.

"Where is all that money? Where is it going?" the U.S. leader asks.

Donald Trump also took the opportunity to criticize Europe: saying that "this war has a greater impact on them," but European leaders have provided only about 100 billion to Ukraine.

"We are separated by an ocean, while they are not," Trump stated.

"The U.S. is a very corrupt country," and Biden is "incompetent"

During the press conference, Trump also did not miss the chance to mention his own country, accusing the U.S. of being very corrupt.

He recalled his predecessor, Joe Biden, calling him "incompetent" and accusing him of making "senseless statements" that only contributed to the continuation of the war in Ukraine.

"His leadership allowed the war to continue," Trump noted.

French President Macron also stated that new Minsk agreements may await Ukraine if effective solutions are not found. He expressed this opinion on February 18.