Trump on Ukraine: 'We're reasonably close' to deal
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump believes that Ukraine and Russia are "reasonably close" to reaching a peace agreement. He noted that the United States is helping NATO and once again announced a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Trump stated that the US is assisting NATO countries in supporting Ukraine, because otherwise, he claimed, Putin would have already taken it over. He also once again mentioned his predecessor, 46th US President Joseph Biden, claiming that under Biden, there might have been the start of World War III.
The President noted that Steve Witkoff is an excellent negotiator. Trump believes that this situation could have led to World War III if it weren’t for the United States, adding that the situation is now slightly improving.
Regarding how close the parties are to reaching a peace agreement, Trump complained that he had thought he could quickly end the fighting in Ukraine, but in reality, it turned out differently.
"I wish the United Nations could do more. We're saving millions of lives," he said.
According to Trump, "there's tremendous hatred between President Zelenskyy and President Putin," which, he claims, is "not good for settlements." He also added that the parties cannot reach an understanding with each other. According to him, when Ukraine wants to sign an agreement, Russia does not, and vice versa.
"I think I can say that we're reasonably close... What happens is, oftentimes, we'll have a deal with Russia. Russia is set, and President Zelenskyy will not do it. And then we'll have President Zelenskyy wants to make a deal, and Putin doesn't want to make the deal. It's a difficult balance," the President noted.
He added that the United States will continue working toward peace in Ukraine, as thousands of people are being killed every week. At the same time, Trump announced a meeting with Zelenskyy scheduled for January 21.
"I'm going to meet with President Zelenskyy later today. I believe they're at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don't, they're stupid," Trump said.
Earlier during his speech, Trump said he plans to meet with Zelenskyy on January 21 on the sidelines of the economic forum in Davos. However, the day before, Zelenskyy announced that he would not attend the forum in Davos. He stayed in Kyiv to oversee the restoration of the energy sector after Russian attacks.
According to US media, the meeting will indeed take place, but on January 22. Zelenskyy will travel to Davos. The Office of the Ukrainian President, in response to a request from RBC-Ukraine, confirmed that Zelenskyy is currently in Kyiv.
For more details on what Trump said during his Davos speech, see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
