United States President Donald Trump has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking with reporters before boarding Air Force One for Dallas, Texas.
According to him, he had a “great” telephone conversation with Putin earlier in the week and believed the Russian leader was interested in reaching an agreement to end the conflict.
“He is wanting to make a deal, and if (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy is wanting to make a deal, that’d be very nice,” Trump said.
Trump spoke with Putin by phone on Tuesday, shortly after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned from diplomatic visits to Moscow and Kyiv.
Witkoff and Kushner have been leading major US diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a way to end the war, which has continued for more than four years.
During their recent meetings, the two US officials discussed possible proposals for bringing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to an end.
Last month, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe also met with Russian intelligence officials in Moscow, partly to encourage Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine.
Despite the renewed diplomatic efforts and Trump’s latest comments, intelligence officials in the United States, Ukraine and several European countries remain doubtful that Putin is genuinely prepared to end the war.
Trump, however, attributed the difficulty in reaching an agreement largely to the strained relationship between Putin and Zelenskiy.
“The holdup is two people who hate each other,” Trump said, referring to the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
“I think more than anything else, it’s two people that hate each other.”
The war has continued into its fourth year, with previous attempts at securing a lasting peace agreement failing to produce a final settlement.
Trump’s latest comments come as Washington intensifies diplomatic efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table.
