'Even If Russia Surrenders...': Trump Hits Out At Critics Over Handling Of Ukraine Negotiations

US President Donald Trump called out the "fake" media and Democrat rivals on Monday, saying that even if Russia decided to surrender, they would still call it a "humiliating day" for him.

"I am totally convinced that if Russia raised their hands and said, "We give up, we concede, we surrender, we will GIVE Ukraine.... Moscow and St. Petersburg, and everything surrounding them for a thousand miles, the Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners would say that this was a bad and humiliating day for Donald J. Trump," the president said in a post on Truth Social.

"But that’s why they are the FAKE NEWS, and the badly failing Radical Left Democrats," he added.

The post was in response to the criticism he received for the handling of the Ukraine and Russia negotiations. Political rivals and a section of experts questioned the rationale behind his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, which fell short of achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump's retort comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is all set to meet him on Monday along with European leaders.

At the key meeting, Trump and Zelensky will be joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Trump will first meet with Zelensky for key bilateral talks, following which a multilateral discussion will be held with the European leaders.

Last week, Trump and Putin held talks in Alaska for around 2.5 hours. The US president, following the meeting, had said that he will urge Zelensky to make a quick deal. He also responded positively to Putin's suggestion, during the joint press briefing, that the next summit between the two leaders should be held in Moscow.