--- title: "Trump says Ukraine should negotiate through another representative instead of Zelensky" description: "On October 19, Donald Trump stated that Ukraine should conduct negotiations through another representative rather than Volodymyr Zelensky, and described Russia's behavior on the Ukrainian issue as «quite good»." date: 2026-10-20T00:42:23.346Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/trump-suggests-replacing-zelensky-in-negotiations tags: [donald-trump, volodymyr-zelensky, ukraine, peace-talks, white-house] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Trump says Ukraine should negotiate through another representative instead of Zelensky ![Donald Trump in a blue suit and Volodymyr Zelensky in a black sweatshirt having a conversation](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/20/trump-predlozhil-zamenit-zelenskogo-na-peregovorah/trump-predlozhil-zamenit-zelenskogo-na-peregovorah-1.webp) ## Key Points - Trump stated that someone other than Zelensky should represent Ukraine in negotiations. - Trump criticized Zelensky, stating that he «should have settled the conflict a long time ago». - Trump called Russia's behavior on the Ukrainian issue «quite good» and expressed readiness to consider a trilateral meeting with Putin and Xi Jinping. - The White House stated that nuclear disarmament will be a priority at such a meeting, and according to Trump, China is catching up to the US and Russia in its nuclear arsenal in about five years. On October 19, before departing the White House for Kansas to campaign for the US midterm elections, President Donald Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and stated that the time has come for Kyiv to be represented by someone else in negotiations. According to The Guardian and the Anadolu news agency, the US leader told reporters: «Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about. He should have settled this conflict a long time ago». ### Criticism of Zelensky and call for a new negotiator Commenting on Zelensky's recent statement that the US president is on the «wrong side of history», Trump replied: «If he had listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago. I think it's time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. What happened? Many people died. They are losing their male population». According to him, «maybe it's time for Mr. Zelensky to let someone else step into the negotiations», while the Ukrainian leader himself, in Trump's assessment, «has done little to improve the situation» and, as he put it, «doesn't want to end the conflict». ### Assessment of Russia and China's actions Answering a question about his readiness for a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss Ukraine, Trump stated that he has not yet agreed, but is ready to consider such options. At the same time, he noted that participation is not necessarily tied to Ukraine, since, according to him, «frankly, Russia has behaved quite well on the Ukrainian issue». He gave a similar assessment to China, emphasizing that both sides «have not interfered too actively» and «haven't come close to doing what they could», which he said he «appreciates». ### Nuclear disarmament as a priority The White House stated that nuclear disarmament will be a priority at any such meeting. «We are going to meet to discuss nuclear weapons and denuclearization… We have more nuclear weapons than any other country. Russia is second, China is third, but they are catching up. China used to be far behind, but now they are catching up. It will probably take about five years», Trump added. ### Readiness to end the conflict Asked whether he would meet with Putin and Xi Jinping to discuss ending the conflict without Zelensky's presence, the US president stated that he will do «everything in my power to end the conflict, regardless of who is present». Thus, the statement on October 19 became one of Trump's harshest public remarks directed at Zelensky and renewed the question of who exactly will represent Kyiv in future peace talks. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Трамп предложил заменить Зеленского на переговорах от имени Украины кем-то другим.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/ong-trump-goi-y-de-nguoi-khac-thay-ong-zelensky-dam-phan-cho-ukraine) - Primary source; contains direct quotes from Trump on October 19 (The Guardian, Anadolu) regarding changing the negotiator, assessing Russia, and the nuclear agenda. - [Они могли бы сделать гораздо больше: Трамп «похвалил» Россию за её действия в Украине](https://unn.ua/ru/news/oni-mogli-bi-sdelat-gorazdo-bolshe-tramp-pokhvalil-rossiyu-za-yeyo-deistviya-v-ukraine) - Confirms the October 19 statement that Russia and China «haven't come close to doing what they could», which Trump «appreciates», as well as the call to change Ukraine's representative. - [Зеленский держится из последних сил: Трамп посылает его в Москву](https://www.kp.ru/daily/277819.5/5308071/) - Context: an earlier proposal by Trump for Zelensky to meet Putin on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly; does not directly relate to the October 19 event. - [Трамп говорит, что у Зеленского «нет козырей» и ему «не столь важно» присутствовать на ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0/20250221-%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BF-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%82-%D1%87%D1%82%D0%BE-%D1%83-%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%82-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B7%D1%8B%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B9-%D0%B8-%D0%B5%D0%BC%D1%83-%D0%BD%D0%B5-%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C-%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%83%D1%82%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%85) - Context: an earlier Fox News Radio interview regarding Zelensky's role in negotiations; aligns with Trump's general line of statements. ## FAQ ### What exactly did Trump say about Ukraine's negotiations on October 19? Trump stated that «it's time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine», criticizing Zelensky for, in his words, failing to «settle the conflict a long time ago». ### How did Trump assess Russia's actions on the Ukrainian issue? Trump said that «Russia has behaved quite well on the Ukrainian issue» and noted that Russia and China «haven't come close to doing what they could», which he «appreciates». ### Is Trump ready for a meeting with Putin and Xi Jinping? Trump stated that he has not yet agreed, but is ready to consider a trilateral meeting, the priority of which, according to the White House, will be nuclear disarmament.