President Trump said Thursday that Russia would be making a concession toward peace if it agrees not to take over Ukraine, as the U.S. president has struggled to negotiate even a limited ceasefire deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Norway’s prime minister, Trump was asked what concessions Russia has “offered up thus far to get to the point where you’re closer to peace.”
“Stopping the war, stopping from taking the whole country, pretty big concession,” Trump responded.
Ukraine’s military succeeded in stopping Russian forces from taking over the capital Kyiv in the first, fraught days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Ukrainian military later oversaw a Russian retreat from suburbs around Kyiv and other areas in the north of the country, and it launched two major counteroffensives to retake some territory in the east and south of the country, but the front lines have been generally frozen for the past two years.
Trump has said he wants to quickly get to a deal between Russia and Ukraine, and both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have suggested the U.S. will give up on talks if that doesn’t happen soon.
It’s unclear whether the U.S. would stop providing military support or intelligence sharing to Ukraine, critical in its defense against Russia.
“Let’s see what happens; I think we’re going to make a deal; ask that question in two weeks,” Trump said when asked about the future of U.S. support.
Trump officials have suggested Ukraine should expect to cede some land to Russia in exchange for peace, as well as agreeing not to join NATO. Critics of the president’s approach say he’s making concessions even before peace talks begin — and making few demands on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said Thursday Russia is not an obstacle to peace, but he added he was open to increasing pressure on Moscow if a deal is not reached. Earlier on Thursday, Trump demanded Putin stop attacks on Ukraine following a major assault against the country Wednesday night.
“Let me put it this way, things will happen,” Trump said.
“We’re putting a lot of pressure on Russia, and Russia knows that, and people that are close to it now, or he wouldn’t be talking right now.”
Trump has said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been harder to work with than Putin, but Ukraine has agreed to Trump’s 30-day ceasefire proposal, while Putin has demanded various conditions for a deal.
The U.S. has focused its initial diplomatic efforts on a ceasefire deal on energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia, as well as protecting shipping lanes in the Black Sea. The U.S. and Ukraine are yet to sign a long-discussed mineral deal.
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