Opinion | Why China should worry as Trump makes nice with Putin over Ukraine

As the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, peace in the Eastern European country seems closer than ever. US President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as a de facto mediator, seems determined to end the war

. But is Kyiv interested in signing a peace deal with Moscow on Washington’s terms?

“You should have never started it. You could have made a deal,” Trump said, following the talks

held by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Riyadh on February 18.

If reports about Trump’s peace plan are true, it seems his ambition is not to force Moscow and Kyiv into a sustainable peace treaty, but rather to once again put the conflict on ice. Further, if Russia and Ukraine reach a ceasefire soon, the Ukrainian authorities would be able to hold elections.

What Moscow and Washington seem to share is a desire to get rid of Zelensky politically. For the Kremlin, he is an “illegitimate” leader, given that his term expired last year. Trump, for his part, has insinuated Zelensky might have pocketed half of the aid the US gave Ukraine. He also claims the Ukrainian leader is a “dictator” with a “4 per cent approval rating”, in a bid to pressure him to hold a vote.