Donald Trump stated during an interview on the Special Report program on Fox News that Putin wants to end the war and he is ready to meet.
When asked by the host why Putin did not come to negotiations and continued to bomb Ukraine, the US president replied: "He is at the [negotiation] table, he wanted this meeting, but without me, it's impossible." He emphasized that he has "good relations" with Putin and hopes that a peaceful resolution to the war will occur when they meet personally, noting that it could happen soon.
"I think Putin is tired of all this. He looks bad [in light of the events], and he wants to look good. Don't forget, all this [war] was supposed to end in a week. And if he hadn't gotten stuck in the mud with his tanks, they would have been in Kyiv in 5 hours," the US president is confident. When asked whether new sanctions should be imposed on Russia now to influence Putin and Russia, Trump replied that he could do it, but would not want to, as it would be "devastating for the Russian economy."
At the same time, he again recalled the meeting with the President of Ukraine in the Oval Office. "Listen, I had a very tough conversation with Zelensky because I didn't like what he said, and he didn't make things easier. And I always said that he has no cards, and he has no cards. I have always been honest. He is dealing with a huge army," Trump stated.
When asked whether new sanctions should be imposed on Russia now to influence Putin and Russia, Trump replied that he could do it, but would not want to, as it would be "devastating for the Russian economy."
As writes Financial Times, Vladimir Putin has long sought to meet one-on-one with a president inclined to normalize Russian-American relations. For Ukrainians, this confirmed once again their worst fears that Trump would try to make a deal with Putin over their heads and sell Ukraine cheaply.
"Putin is doing enough to convince Trump that he is involved in this attempt to find peace in Ukraine, and at the same time doing everything possible to ensure it leads nowhere," said a senior European diplomat involved in negotiations between Western capitals. "And Trump is falling for it."
As the publication notes, Putin's unwillingness to engage in peace talks has already been understood in the Trump administration. According to FT sources, last week, senior Russian officials informed Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff that Putin does not want to discuss the peace plan he developed with the participation of Ukraine and Europe. At the same time, as FT notes, due to Russia's reaction, Witkoff postponed preliminary plans to meet with the Russian leader this week.
"So far, this European rhetoric has not been supported by anyone in the Trump administration, which continued to express disappointment with both sides of the conflict, not singling out Russia, and hinted that it might withdraw," notes FT. However, after Putin's "risky" actions, which are escalating not only with Ukraine and Europe but also with the US, the situation may change, the publication believes.
The Russian delegation at the negotiations demanded that Ukraine recognize the annexation of Crimea and four more of its regions, abandon the idea of reparations, and secure its neutral status without the presence of foreign troops, writes Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the course of the negotiations.
According to them, one of the demands is for Ukraine to recognize Crimea as "Russian" and come to terms with the loss of four more of its regions, which were "included in the Russian Federation" in the fall of 2022, although none of them are fully controlled by the Russian army yet. Russia demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from there.
These conditions contradict the peace settlement plan developed by the Trump administration. One European official, speaking to Bloomberg, expressed hope that after this week's events, Trump will understand that Russia is not serious about peace negotiations and that a decisive response is required from the US.
Photo: AFP