US President Donald Trump says Russia has made a “pretty big concession” to end the war in Ukraine by stopping short of taking the “whole country.”
Trump insists he is putting “a lot of pressure on Russia” and that’s why President Vladimir Putting is “talking right now.”
“I think he wants to make a deal, we’re going to find out very soon, but it takes two to tango,” Trump said.
Trump made the comments during an Oval Office meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Ukraine and much of Europe have fiercely pushed back against this notion, arguing that it’s hardly a concession for Russia to pause its land grab.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump posted what for him is a rare rebuke of Putin after Russia struck Kyiv for hours with missiles and drones, killing at least 12 people and injuring 90 in the deadliest assault on the capital in almost a year.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying.” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Answering reporters questioning his choice of words and direct reference of his Russian counterpart, Trump said “I didn’t like last night. I wasn’t happy with it.”
“We’re in the midst of talking peace and missiles were fired. And I was not happy with it. That’s what I meant,” added the 47th US president.
Just before Trump and the visiting Norwegian premier had lunch in the White House’s West Wing, Trump said he believes Russia and Ukraine “both want peace” and an end to the conflict.
“There’s a lot of very bad blood, a lot of distrust, but, I hope we’re going to get there for the sake of a lot of young people that are dying,” he noted
“I have my own deadline, and we want it to be fast.”
The president’s tone was more optimistic about the prospects that an agreement can be reached than it was in his earlier social media postings.
On Wednesday, he was sharply critical of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he pushed back against a US proposal that included Kyiv ceding territory that Russia has seized from Ukraine.