Trump names main obstacle to peace between Ukraine and Russia
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said that the war in Ukraine cannot be ended because of personal animosity between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that during talks, each side repeatedly backed down, according to the White House.
Speaking at the opening of the Shield of the Americas Summit, the US president again claimed he had ended eight wars, with a ninth on the way. He said that resolving the Ukraine conflict seemed easiest, but hatred got in the way.
"The hatred between Putin and his counterpart [Zelenskyy – ed.] is so great… You'd think Ukraine and Russia could be a little bit comrades, but there's none of that. And the hatred is so great that it's very hard for them to get there," Trump said.
He added that talks have come close to an agreement many times, but one side always backed down.
"They find it very, very hard to get there, so we'll see what happens. But we've been close a lot of times, and one of the other would back out," the US leader emphasized.
Trump summarized by saying that the United States is not losing much—only Ukraine and Russia are paying the price, likely in terms of lives. He also framed his efforts to end the war as a service to Europe and to life itself.
"It doesn't really affect us very much because we've got an ocean separating [us – ed.]. I'm doing this as a favor to Europe, and I'm doing it as a favor to life," he said.
Efforts to end war in Ukraine
On March 6, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Donald Trump still believes peace in Ukraine is possible.
Recently, US special envoy Steve Witkoff also expressed optimism, noting that work on a final document is ongoing and new outcomes are expected in the coming weeks.
A few days ago, Trump suggested that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an obstacle to making a peace deal, claiming that Ukraine is rapidly losing leverage while the Kremlin is allegedly ready for dialogue.
