U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Russia may be “dragging their feet” on reaching a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
“I don't know. […] But I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they're dragging their feet,” Trump said in an interview with the right-wing U.S. news network Newsmax. He continued:
I’ve done it over the years, you know; I don’t want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game, but maybe I don’t want to do it, quite … I’m not sure. But no, I think Russia would like to see it end, and I think [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky would like to see it end at this point.
Trump added that Russia and Ukraine each lose an average of about 2,500 soldiers every week.
“They're not Americans but it doesn't matter to me, from that standpoint,” he said. “I see the pictures of the battlefields; I'd rather not even see them. We have arms and legs and heads all over the field. […] And I just want to see it stop.”
Last week, immediately before his latest call with Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly “made it clear” to a group of Russian business leaders that they should not expect a peace agreement with Ukraine in the near future.
