On Sunday, former President Donald Trump announced he would give Ukraine and Russia "two weeks" to reach an agreement, expressing concern that Ukraine is losing too many lives to continue fighting. Trump also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for persisting with the conflict despite earlier peace talks.
Trump, who had promised during his 2024 presidential campaign to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if re-elected, has been in office for nearly 100 days with no substantial deal in sight.
Tensions flared in late February when Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a heated exchange in front of reporters at the White House. This led to Zelensky leaving prematurely, without signing a proposed deal to allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth mineral reserves.
As diplomatic relations deteriorated, Trump threatened to abandon negotiations altogether. However, he and Zelensky met privately at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, which seemed to reset their relationship.
Trump later posted a rare criticism of Putin on Truth Social, condemning the missile strikes on civilian areas and suggesting that Putin might not want peace after all. He called the situation dire, noting that “too many people are dying” and implying that Putin’s actions could require a different kind of response, such as “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions.”
Addressing the status of peace talks, Trump expressed disappointment in Russia, calling on Putin to stop the attacks and negotiate. When asked about his trust in Putin, Trump replied he would know in "about two weeks," clarifying that if the situation continued, “they're losing a lot of people.”
Trump shared that he had seen "horrible" satellite images showing casualties and stated that if Russia continued to resist a deal, he had various measures in mind. He also pushed back on claims of a fallout with Zelensky, calling their earlier disagreement a “dispute” and expressing that Zelensky was now "calmer" and eager to make a deal. Trump acknowledged Zelensky's difficult position, noting that he was fighting a much larger force and that Russia had not been "distinguished" in its approach.
Trump further speculated that Zelensky might be willing to concede on Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and placed blame for that situation on former Presidents Obama and Biden, saying, "go ask [them]" about Crimea.
On Fox News, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) commented that Putin likely sees America as weak, accusing him of disrespecting President Trump. He suggested that the U.S. should make it clear to Putin that there would be severe consequences, starting with oil.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Zelensky described his meeting with Trump as positive and focused on securing a "full and unconditional ceasefire" and a "lasting peace" to prevent further conflict. He called the meeting symbolic and said it had the potential to become historic if they achieved joint results.
Meanwhile, Putin claimed that the Ukrainian military's efforts had failed and highlighted the significant losses suffered by Ukraine, particularly among its most combat-ready and well-equipped units.
As negotiations between Russia and Ukraine continue, the U.S. is increasing pressure on Moscow to strike a deal, but with May 9, Russia's Victory Day, approaching, Putin is likely to maintain his stance, emphasizing Ukraine's supposed “neo-Nazi” government, despite President Zelensky’s Jewish heritage.
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