Trump Issues Stark Ultimatum to Ukraine: ‘He’ll Have to Like It’ or Keep Fighting

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a sobering and uncompromising assessment of the ongoing war in Eastern Europe, President Donald Trump outlined a grim path forward for the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, asserting that a peace deal is "reasonably close" while simultaneously delivering a blunt ultimatum to Ukrainian leadership. Speaking to the news media at the White House on Friday, following a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the President detailed the catastrophic human toll of the war and made clear that continued American support hinges on Kyiv’s acceptance of a negotiated settlement.

According to a transcript of the news conference released by The New York Times, President Trump revealed that while he has not personally spoken with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine this week, his administration has been in active communication with Ukrainian officials.

"I’ve spoken with their people. We have a plan," Trump stated, signaling that his administration is moving aggressively to broker an end to the hostilities. He characterized the current state of the conflict as "horrible," describing it as a tragedy that "should never have happened" and claiming definitively that "it would never have happened if I was president."

The President’s remarks took on a particularly urgent tone as he described the deteriorating conditions on the ground. He pointed to the approaching severity of the season and the strategic targeting of critical infrastructure as primary drivers for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

"It’s a cold winter," Trump noted, highlighting that "a lot of the big energy-producing plants have been under attack, to put it mildly, to put it nicely." This degradation of Ukraine's energy grid appears to be a central factor in the administration's push for a resolution, with the President suggesting that the physical reality of the war is forcing a diplomatic timeline.

However, the most striking element of the press conference was the President’s rigid stance regarding the terms of any potential peace agreement. When pressed by a reporter regarding President Zelensky’s recent comments—in which the Ukrainian leader reportedly said his country risked giving up either a partner or its dignity—Trump appeared unmoved by the appeal to dignity.

"He’ll have to like it," Trump said of the proposed peace plan. "And if he doesn't like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess."

This stark dichotomy—accept the deal or face the war alone—was further clarified when a reporter asked if the United States would pull back its support should Zelensky refuse the terms.

Trump’s response indicated a belief that Kyiv has lost its leverage. "At some point he’s going to have to accept something," Trump insisted. He recalled a previous conversation in the Oval Office where he told the Ukrainian President directly, "You don't have the cards."

The President’s rationale for this pressure campaign is rooted in what he described as staggering casualty figures, which he cited to emphasize the futility of continued combat.

According to the transcript provided by The New York Times, Trump offered specific and harrowing statistics regarding recent losses. "Last month they lost 25,000 soldiers," Trump said. He further elaborated that the combatants are "averaging six or seven thousand a week between the two of them—dead soldiers, and it goes on and on."

Drawing a historical parallel to emphasize the scale of the carnage, Trump stated, "We haven’t seen anything like this since the Second World War."

He lamented the loss of life, noting that the death toll includes both Ukrainian and Russian forces. "They are losing 25—think of that—25,000 lives over the last short period of time. That’s Ukrainian and Russian. And it’s a shame."

Throughout the news conference, President Trump reiterated his long-standing position that the war was an inherited disaster that could have been avoided with different American leadership.

"I blame the person also sitting right behind this desk," Trump said, referring to his predecessor. "This is a war that should have never happened, and it wouldn’t have happened if I were president, but we’re trying to save a lot of lives."

He argued that the window for the "ultimate deal"—preventing the war entirely—had closed years ago, and that even a deal struck one or two years prior would have been preferable to the current situation. Now, however, he expressed a belief that the warring parties are nearing an agreement.

"I think they are getting reasonably close," Trump predicted, though he tempered this optimism by noting that he did not want to make a firm prediction, admitting that the process "does take two to tango."

The President also touched upon his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a potential catalyst for peace, though he acknowledged that the conflict has persisted longer than he anticipated.

"The one I thought would have been for me, because I have a very good relationship with President Putin—I thought that would have been maybe quicker," Trump admitted. He juxtaposed this delay with his previous successes in brokering international agreements, citing eight peace deals involving countries such as India, Pakistan, and nations in Africa.

The press conference also highlighted the domestic political pressure to end the conflict. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who appeared alongside the President, reinforced the sentiment that American voters are weary of foreign entanglements.

Mamdani noted that in his conversations with voters who supported Trump, including those in New York City boroughs, a recurring theme was the desire to end "forever wars." Mamdani told the reporters that voters "wanted an end to the taxpayers’ dollars we had funding violations of human rights," a sentiment that aligns with the President’s push to limit indefinite American financial commitment to the war in Ukraine.

Despite the grim statistics and the acknowledgment of the brutal winter offensive against energy infrastructure, President Trump maintained that the United States has "a way of getting peace." However, he made it explicitly clear that the success of this plan relies heavily on President Zelensky’s acquiescence. "He’s going to have to approve it," Trump stated.

The exchange provided a window into the administration’s transactional approach to the crisis. By characterizing the war as a dispute where one side "doesn't have the cards" and asserting that the US support is conditional on accepting a negotiated peace, President Trump signaled a significant shift from unconditional aid.

The focus, according to the President, is strictly on the loss of life rather than geopolitical alliances. "It doesn't affect us other than the fact that we don't want to see all of those people dead," Trump said. "Really, it’s on the other side of the ocean."

As the war grinds through another winter, the President’s comments suggest that the timeline for a resolution is accelerating, driven not by military victory, but by American diplomatic pressure and a refusal to sustain the status quo.

With casualties mounting to levels unseen in Europe for eighty years, the White House has drawn a line in the sand, leaving the leadership in Kyiv with a stark choice between a compromised peace or a war fought without its most powerful backer.