Donald Trump has issued a major peace ultimatum to Ukraine in the hopes of securing peace by Christmas.
After weeks of back-and-forth between the US, Russia, Ukraine and Europe on a peace plan, the President has now vowed that Moscow holds the advantage - and has told Ukraine to submit.
"Russia has the upper hand. And they always did. They're much bigger. They're much stronger in that sense," Mr Trump told Politico.
He praised Ukrainian forces for their courage - but warned that Vladimir Putin's numbers would ultimately prevail.
"At some point, size will win, generally. And this is a massive size, when you take a look at the numbers, I mean, the numbers are just crazy," he said.
And when asked about Volodymyr Zelensky rejecting US proposals, Mr Trump was blunt.
"Well, he's gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things. You know, when you're losing, 'cause he's losing."
Mr Trump also launched a scathing attack on European leaders, calling some of them "real stupid" for their handling of the war.
His criticism came after Sir Keir Starmer hosted crisis talks on Monday with Mr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz.
The Ukrainian leader told his so-called "E3" counterparts he had been pressed to take a swift decision on peace by Mr Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US President's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
A person with knowledge of the timeline proposed to Kyiv told the FT that the US was hoping for a deal agreed "by Christmas".
Donald Trump's criticism came after Sir Keir Starmer hosted crisis talks on Monday with Mr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz
|PA
The President claimed European nations would allow Ukraine to continue fighting "until they drop" rather than pursuing peace.
"I know the good leaders. I know the bad leaders. I know the smart ones. I know the stupid ones. You get some real stupid ones, too. But they're not doing a good job. Europe is not doing a good job in many ways," he said.
Mr Trump accused European leaders of empty rhetoric.
"Well, they can't be doing too right because look what's happened."
Ukrainian and European officials now face a difficult task in securing Washington's backing for a peace deal more favourable to Kyiv.
Mr Putin so far appears to be winning the battle for Mr Trump's ear over the increasingly-isolated "coalition of the willing".
UKRAINE - READ THE LATEST:
Ukraine must accept a peace deal by Christmas, Donald Trump said
|REUTERS
Mr Zelensky and his allies have tried to engage constructively with the White House to avoid being seen as blocking peace.
But Ukrainian officials now worry that the Kremlin has gained the upper hand.
Moscow has successfully framed European leaders, including the Prime Minister, the French President and the German Chancellor, as the main obstacles to ending the war.
Mr Trump also targeted European immigration policies, singling out London and Paris as having been transformed by migration.
The Mayor of the former, Sir Sadiq Khan, is "a horrible mayor" and "an incompetent mayor", Mr Trump said.
Sir Sadiq Khan is 'a horrible mayor' and 'an incompetent mayor', Mr Trump said
|PA
"He's a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor. I think he's done a terrible job. London's a different place. I love London. And I hate to see it happen."
A recent White House national security document warned that Europe risked "civilisational erasure" due to illegal migration and low birth rates.
Mr Trump said European immigration policy was "a disaster" and predicted some countries would no longer be viable if current trends continued.
"My roots are in Europe, as you know," he added.
More From GB News