Key points
- Trump met Zelensky at Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome
- He urged Putin to “stop shooting missiles into civilian areas”
- Putin on Monday declared a 3-day ceasefire in May
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, still wants to negotiate a peace agreement in his war with Ukraine, as ceasefire talks mediated by Washington appear stalled.
Asked in an interview with ABC television if Putin wants peace, Trump said: “I think he does.”
The statement comes after Trump on Saturday questioned whether the Russian leader was serious about peace, comments he made following a dramatic meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky at the pope’s funeral in Rome, AFP reported.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along.”
“Because of me”
Trump also suggested in the interview Tuesday that Putin wants to take control over the whole of Ukraine, but “because of me, he’s not going to do that.”
Trump has been pushing for a ceasefire in the three-year war, but his campaign promise of ending the conflict within the first 24 hours has proven illusive.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested he would drop peace efforts unless both sides put forward “concrete proposals.”
Putin recently proposed a three-day ceasefire around Moscow’s commemorations next week for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, but he rebuffed a Ukrainian-backed US call for a 30-day ceasefire.
Three-day ceasefire
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire in May in the war with Ukraine to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War Two.
Putin’s move appeared aimed at signalling that Russia is still interested in peace as President Donald Trump’s administration in Washington grows impatient with stuttering efforts toward peace.
The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run on May 8, May 9 – when Putin will host international leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping for lavish celebrations to commemorate victory over Nazi Germany – and May 10, Reuters reported.
