On Friday, President Trump firmly stated that he was not being “manipulated” during discussions aimed at concluding the conflict in Ukraine. He expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached following remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio who suggested time was running short for the talks.
“We’re aiming to stop it, preferably. However, should one of the two sides make things extremely challenging, our response will be ‘you are foolish individuals, terrible people, and we’ll simply withdraw.’ Hopefully, though, we won’t reach that point,” Trump stated to journalists in the Oval Office.
“I think we have a good chance of solving the problem, however,” Trump added.
When asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was delaying matters, as many critics suggest, Trump expressed his hope that this wasn’t the case. He also dismissed a query regarding whether he might be manipulated by Russia.
“No, nobody is casting me. I’m attempting to assist,” Trump stated.
“No one is holding back; we aim to see if we can pull this off,” he continued. “In my opinion, we’ve got a strong shot at succeeding. Things are reaching a critical point right now.”
Trump did not indicate whether he would keep supporting Ukraine if the peace negotiations fell through.
“I won’t state that, as I believe we will accomplish it,” Trump stated.
Rubio stated earlier on Friday 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 it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio said.
For several months, Trump has been advocating for a ceasefire in Ukraine, where conflict began following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, after amassing troops at the border. During his campaign, he claimed he could bring an end to the war even before assuming office.
The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has
mentioned he agreed with the 30-day truce conditions set forth by officials from the Trump administration, now leaving it up to Russia.
Experts contend that Russia is delaying and shows little interest in a truce, as it continues to make progress on the battleground.
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