United States – U.S. President Donald Trump said he thinks Russia could be purposely frustrating his efforts to broker a peace agreement ending the fighting in Ukraine, saying he recognised stalling when he saw it.
“It could be they’re dragging their feet,” Trump told Newsmax in an interview at the White House on Tuesday evening, the first time he has openly criticised Russia in the six weeks since embarking on his effort to deliver a peaceful resolution to the three-year-long war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’ll let you know at a certain point. But I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet,” he said.
“I’ve done it over the years, you know; I don’t want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game, but maybe I don’t want to do it, quite … I’m not sure. But no, I think Russia would like to see it end, and I think [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky would like to see it end at this point.”
Trump said he wanted an end to the killing on the battlefield, which he said was costing the lives of an average of 2 500 soldiers from both sides each week, stressing the revulsion he felt at the carnage and blaming drones for an escalation in the deadliness of the instruments of war being used.
“I see the pictures of the battlefields; I’d rather not even see them. We have arms and legs and heads all over the field. The weaponry is ridiculous. It’s a big drone deal now. … And I just want to see it stop,” said Trump.
His comments came after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia, at which US officials held separate negotiations with both the Russians and Ukrainians, fell short of a cease-fire producing instead an agreement to reactivate a so-called Black Sea Initiative and an understanding that Russia and the US would continue working towards achieving “a durable and lasting peace.”
The agreement would demilitarise the sea-safe sea lanes for vessels carrying Russian fertiliser and grain exports and US assistance to regain access to world markets together with Russia and the US will continue working towards achieving a durable and lasting peace. (UPI)
