US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that resolving the Ukraine conflict has proven to be more difficult than he expected. He also said he didn’t think his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is serious about ending the hostilities.
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| US President Donald Trump. © Eric Lee/Getty Images |
RT reports: Since taking office in January, the Republican has repeatedly vowed to put an end to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in short order. However, Trump has gradually conceded that the endeavor could take longer than his originally touted “24 hours.”
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, the US president said he was “not happy with Putin,” while claiming, “he’s killing a lot of people,” both Russian and Ukrainian troops. Trump asserted that up to 7,000 people are being killed in the conflict every week at this point.
When asked by a reporter whether he planned to “act on that feeling,” Trump replied, “I wouldn’t be telling you,” adding that he wanted his next move to remain “a little surprise” for the time being.
The US president cited America’s recent attack on Iran’s nuclear facility as an example of his strategy based on unpredictability.
“It’s turned out to be tougher,” Trump acknowledged, referring to his attempts to settle the Ukraine conflict, adding that Washington has given Kiev the “best [military] equipment ever made.”
“It’s turned out to be tougher,” Trump acknowledged, referring to his attempts to settle the Ukraine conflict, adding that Washington has given Kiev the “best [military] equipment ever made.”
According to the US president, Russia would have defeated Ukraine in “three [to] four days,” if not for American weapons deliveries. However, he went on to note that the US probably gave Ukraine more weapons than it should have under former President Joe Biden, surpassing even Europe.
“We’re in there for 300 billion dollars,” Trump said, adding that he wants US arms manufacturers to speed up their production processes.
“We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin, if you wanna know the truth,” the US president claimed, stating that the Russian leader “is very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
When asked about a sanctions bill put forward by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, which calls for more punitive measures against Moscow, Trump said that he was “looking at it.”
“It’s an optional bill,” Trump stressed, noting that the final decision as to whether to impose new sanctions lies solely with him.
Last week, the Pentagon announced a halt to weapons deliveries to Ukraine, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly making the decision single-handedly as part of a “capability review.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the freeze, suggesting that it could bring the end of the conflict closer.
However, on Monday, Trump appeared to go back on the military aid suspension, explaining that Ukraine was “getting hit very hard now” by Russian strikes.
Russia has repeatedly condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they only serve to prolong the bloodshed without changing its course and increase the risk of broader escalation.