Speaking in an interview with the US magazine on December 9, Mr. Trump emphasized that Russia is in a "upper hand" and Ukraine has no chance of a military victory.
Mr. Trump said Russia is a much larger country and is controlling developments on the battlefield. "At some point, the scale factor will win. And Russia has a huge scale, Trump said, urging Ukraine to immediately read the latest draft of the US peace proposal.
Mr Trump said Mr Zelensky had not yet read the latest package, although senior Ukrainian officials very much like the plan.
Many people are dying. It would be good if he read it, Trump said, pointing to Kievs delay as the reason for the stagnation of the peace process.
The Ukrainian president needs to act quickly and start accepting some things, Trump added, asserting that the Ukrainian leader is losing the game.
Trump also attracted attention when he said that this was an important time for Ukraine to hold elections - which was postponed in the context of the conflict. They talk about democracy, but then its got to the point where its no longer democratic, Trump said, stressing that Ukrainians deserve to have the right to choose.
Trump's initial 28 points of the peace plan leaked last month include demanding Ukraine withdraw troops from Donbass, a commitment not to join NATO and a reduction of armed forces. Kiev immediately rejected the proposal, saying it was un acceptable.
Since then, the plan has been revised several times with backlash from both Moscow and Kiev. However, Trump said he was disappointed that Zelensky had not yet reviewed the latest amendment.
For its part, Russia has said it welcomes Mr Trump's peace efforts and is ready for talks, but insists it is holding a unchanged stance: Ukraine must recognize Russia's new borders and maintain its neutral state.
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky has repeatedly denied the possibility of abandoning the lost territories, saying Ukraine derited a peaceful peace in honor.
