Donald Trump And Family Dissuades from Ukraine’s Stand.

Washington DC; December 2025: US President Donald Trump and the First Lady arrived on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC as questions continued to swirl over, DC, as questions continued to swirl over the administration’s approach to Ukraine peace efforts.

On Sunday, Trump said, “I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the peace proposal”, signalling frustration with Kyiv’s response to recent diplomatic outreach.

Amid those concerns, Trump’s eldest son suggested that the president could walk away from Ukraine

peace talks amid repeated allegations of corruption involving senior Ukrainian officials.

Speaking at the Doha Forum, Donald Trump Junior attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of extending the war to remain in power. He argued that Zelenskyy has little chance of winning another election and claimed the conflict continues while wealthy elites have already left the country. According to Trump Junior, the corrupt elites have all moved to Monaco leaving the ‘peasants’ in the country to fight the war. He insisted Zelenskyy’s standing in Western circles has been

exaggerated, saying, “Because of the war, and because he’s one of the great marketers of all times, Zelenskyy became a borderline deity, especially to the left, where he could do no wrong, he was beyond reproach. Ukraine is a far more corrupt country than Russia”.

When asked whether his father might withdraw from peace discussions, Trump Junior replied, “I think he may”. He added that this was his personal view, as he has not played a prominent public role in recent negotiations. “What’s good about my father, and what’s unique about my father, is you don’t know what he’s going to do. The fact that he’s not predictable forces everyone to actually deal in an intellectually honest capacity“.

He also described a visit to Monaco, recounting, “This summer I was in Monaco with my beautiful girlfriend, we were driving around the city, and on a typical day 50% of the supercars, Bugatti, Ferrari, that’s all were on Ukrainian roads. Do we really think that all this was honestly earned in Ukraine?”

Trump Junior argued there is little motivation to stop the conflict because, as he put it, “the money trains have not stopped“, and he claimed public sentiment in the United States is turning against continued aid. “Americans have no appetite for writing blank checks for Ukraine or EU“, he said, adding that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is no longer a major concern for many Republicans conflict is no longer a major concern for many Republicans, despite the official stance of the party.

These comments followed three days of meetings in Miami between delegations from Kyiv and Washington. Both sides described the talks as productive, but Ukrainian officials said there were few concrete breakthroughs and that unresolved questions remain over security guarantees and territorial matters.

Ukraine has long faced corruption concerns, and recent developments have intensified scrutiny. Andriy Yermak, a top aide and influential figure in peace negotiations, resigned after anti-corruption agencies raided his home in November, highlighting the continuing challenges within the country’s political system.

Providing a direct update on the state of diplomacy, President Volodymyr Zelensky said peace negotiations with the United States have been “constructive” but “not States have been constructive but not easy“. Zelensky spoke by phone on Saturday with President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “The American representatives know the basic

Ukrainian positions“, Zelensky said. “The conversation was constructive, although not easy“. His remarks come ahead of planned discussions in London today involving Zelensky, UK prime minister Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.

At the same time, the Kremlin welcomed Trump’s new national security strategy, saying that it “corresponds in many ways to our vision“. The strategy warned that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” and said Washington aims to re-establish strategic stability with Russia.

On Sunday, Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy said a deal to end the conflict was “really close” and now

hinges on resolving two major issues–the future of the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

On the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honours in Washington DC, where the President commented on his administration’s tariff policy, emphasising national security benefits. Speaking on tariffs, Trump said, “We have tremendous flexibility with the current system. It’s unbelievable for national security. I’ve ended eight wars, largely because of trade and because of tariffs“. He added, “If we go the other tariff route, it won’t give you the same pure national security“.

As Trump highlighted what he sees as the security advantages of tariffs, his comments came ahead of a key Supreme Court ruling on whether he exceeded presidential authority in imposing broad duties.

In the coming weeks, the justices are expected to determine whether Trump violated federal law by using emergency powers to launch sweeping tariffs during his second term. Since returning to office in January, the President has repeatedly applied and reinstated tariffs on various trading partners, raising costs on products including appliances, lumber and electrical components.

A coalition of companies and trade organisations has challenged the approach, arguing Trump misused the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by treating it as a blanket tool for tariffs.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump addressed the looming Supreme Court decision, insisting he has alternative options if his current strategy is restricted.

“While the United States has other methods of charging TARIFFS against foreign countries, many of whom have, for YEARS, TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF OUR NATION, the current method of Tariffing before the United States Supreme Court (/topic/supreme-court) is far more DIRECT, LESS CUMBERSOME, and MUCH FASTER”, he wrote.

Trump also asserted broad presidential powers over national Trump also asserted broad presidential powers over national security and foreign policy, saying he had “settled 8 Wars in 10 months because of the rights clearly given to the President of the United States”. To ensure the tariff strategy continues even if the court limits existing measures, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been preparing a fallback plan. His proposed “plan B” would use other statutory authorities combined with tougher actions on economic competition.

“We can recreate the exact tariff structure with 301s, with 232s, with the I think they’re called 122s“, he said, referring to three separate provisions governing trade actions.

Section 301 targets unfair foreign trade practices,

Section 232 permits tariffs on imports that threaten national security, and

Section 122 allows short-term tariffs or quotas in balance-of payments emergencies.

Bessent warned that if the Supreme Court overturns the current tariffs, it could result in “massive

refunds” owed to companies that paid them. He added that the government may have to return significant amounts already counted as federal revenue, creating fiscal and administrative challenges for the Treasury.

Team Maverick.