On Friday, President Trump firmly stated that he was not being “played” during discussions aimed at concluding the conflict in Ukraine. He expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached following comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio who suggested time was running short for the negotiations.
“We aim to stop it, preferably. However, should either party make things extremely challenging for us, our response will be: ‘You are being foolish; you are all fools; you are terrible individuals,’ and consequently, we’ll opt out. Nonetheless, let’s hope this scenario doesn’t unfold,” Trump stated to journalists at the Oval Office.
“I believe we have a strong possibility of resolving the issue,” Trump further stated.
When asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was delaying matters, as many critics suggested, Trump expressed his hope that this wasn’t the case. He also dismissed a query regarding whether he might be being manipulated by Russia.
“No, nobody’s playing me. I’m trying to help,” Trump said.
“No one is holding back; we aim to find out if we can accomplish this,” he continued. “I believe we have a strong possibility of succeeding. Things are reaching a critical point at present.”
Trump did not indicate whether he would keep supporting Ukraine if the peace negotiations fell through.
“I’m not going to say that, because I think we’re going to get it done,” Trump said.
Rubio stated on Friday morning following discussions in Paris that the U.S. was approaching a juncture where they needed to determine if a resolution could be achieved.
“Because if that’s not the case, then I believe we’ll simply proceed,” Rubio stated.
For several months, Trump has been advocating for a ceasefire in Ukraine, where conflict began following Russia’s invasion in February 2022 when military units gathered at the frontier. During his campaign, he claimed he could bring an end to the war prior to assuming office.
The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has
stated he agreed with the conditions of a 30-day truce outlined by U.S. officials under the Trump administration, now leaving it up to Russia.
Critics contend that Russia is delaying and shows little interest in a ceasefire, as it continues to profit from advances on the battleground.
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