On Friday, President Trump firmly stated that he was not being “manipulated” during discussions aimed at ending 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 negotiations.
“We’re aiming to stop it, preferably. However, should either party make things extremely challenging for us, our response will be ‘you are being unreasonable, you are fools, and you are terrible individuals; therefore, we’ll simply opt out.’ Hopefully, though, this won’t come to that,” Trump stated to journalists in the Oval Office.
“I believe we have a strong possibility of resolving the issue,” Trump also mentioned.
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 being manipulated by Russia.
“No, nobody is casting me. I’m attempting to assist,” Trump stated.
“No one is holding back; we aim to find out if we can make it happen,” he continued. “I believe we have a strong possibility of succeeding. Things are reaching a critical point at this moment.”
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 said earlier Friday after talks in Paris that the U.S. was reaching a point where it had to decide whether a resolution was possible.
“If it isn’t, then I believe we’ll simply proceed,” Rubio stated.
Trump has for months been pressing for a ceasefire in Ukraine, where fighting has been underway since Russian forces invaded in February 2022 after amassing troops near the border. He said on the campaign trail he would be able to end the war before even taking office.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated he
accepted
The conditions for a 30-day truce outlined by officials from the Trump administration now rest with Russia.
Critics contend that Russia is delaying and shows little interest in a ceasefire, as it continues to profit from its advancements on the battleground.
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