Trump wants Putin to make deal on Ukraine

US President Donald Trump believes that Putin will eventually agree to end the war in Ukraine. Trump stated that he doesn't want to impose tariffs on Russian oil, as he mentioned earlier.

"I want to see him make a deal so that we stop Russian soldiers and Ukrainian soldiers and other people from being killed,” Trump said in the Oval Office today. “I want to make sure that he follows through, and I think he will. I don’t want to go secondary tariffs on his oil."

Additionally, he addressed the issue of Ukraine's natural resources, claiming that Ukraine is demanding NATO membership in exchange for a signed agreement.

“We made a deal for rare earth. It was all done. And I heard through you,” Trump said, referring to the press. “I haven’t spoken to them yet, but through you, I heard that they now say, ‘Well, I’ll only do that deal if we get into NATO or something to that effect. Well, that was never, number one, discussed. Number two, I think it’s going to be very - long before Putin, they said you’re not going into NATO."

Trump also mentioned that the issue of Ukraine's NATO membership was likely the reason behind the start of the war.

Trump's threats background

Last week, Vladimir Putin proposed a "temporary administration under the auspices of the UN" to hold elections in Ukraine (claiming that Zelenskyy is illegitimate).

An unnamed White House representative, European leaders, and other politicians rejected this proposal, stating that President Zelenskyy was democratically elected and only the Constitution and the people determine the country's leadership.

On Sunday, Trump said in an NBC News interview that he was very angry with Putin for pressuring Zelenskyy and for the ongoing war. He also threatened to impose tariffs on Russian oil, stating that those who buy it would not be able to do business in the US.

Furthermore, State Department spokesperson Tammi Bruce stated yesterday that Trump did not support Russia's idea of a temporary government in Ukraine.