Trump Doubts Zelensky's Readiness for Peace Deal with Russia

US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's readiness to reach a peace agreement with Russia, stating that negotiating with Vladimir Putin is easier. In a Newsmax interview, Trump said he had asked Zelensky to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which resumed on October 15, but called Zelensky "not the person we should be dealing with." Trump claimed Zelensky "doesn't want to negotiate" despite saying otherwise, and reiterated that the war would not have started if he had been president in 2020. Trump also repeated his claim that Russian tanks got stuck in a swamp due to a general's mistake, stopping the advance on Kyiv, and predicted the war "should end soon," though he believes both sides want that outcome.