Asked by the Polish Press Agency (PAP) news agency how he intended to make Putin observe the truce, Trump said the Russian leader was the one seeking an agreement and that Zelensky needed to be persuaded to want one.
“I think they’re going to make a deal. I think actually Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelensky”, Trump said before leaving for Ohio. Pressed on what he based that belief on, given Russia’s attacks, he repeated that he thought the two leaders would reach an agreement.
Trump said the two leaders must bring the war to an end. “Zelensky and Putin have to get together and end that ridiculous war. This month they lost 32,000 people in that war, and it’s ridiculous”, he said.
Asked why he had announced an energy ceasefire when neither country appeared to know about it, Trump said both had agreed. “They agreed because I said they agreed”, he said. “The war is a disaster”, he added.
Questioned about Russia’s breaches of the truce, Trump said he would look into it, as he believed both sides had broken it. “I’ll have to look at it and see because there’s been violations on both sides”, he said.
Russia has not stopped striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure since Trump announced the truce on Sunday. Zelensky said on Fox News on Monday that Ukraine did not attack Russian refineries on Sunday, but he declined to commit to continued restraint if Russia keeps attacking Ukrainian power plants.
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Source: PAP, The Tribune