Trump urges Russia for ceasefire as talks progress
Donald Trump commented on Vladimir Putin's Thursday address. "We hope that Russia will do the right thing," stated the U.S. President. He also confirmed that Steve Witkoff is holding talks in Russia.
"We'll be discussing what's happening with respect to Ukraine and Russia. At this moment, we have people talking in Russia... thousands of young people are being killed a week, and we want to see that stop," Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
"They discussed NATO and being in NATO and everybody knows what the answer to that is. They’ve known that answer for 40 years, in all fairness. So a lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed. Now we’re gonna see whether or not Russia is there, and if they’re not, it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world," Trump added.
Addressing reporters, Trump announced that his envoy Steve Witkoff is holding serious talks in Russia and is soon expected to meet with Vladimir Putin.
"Let's hope that Russia will do the right thing," he said, emphasizing again that he would like Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
Trump: Putin's statement "wasn't complete"
Trump also referred to Vladimir Putin's press conference, where he met with journalists after meeting with Alexander Lukashenko.
He stated that the Russian president presented a promising position, but it wasn't complete. Trump emphasized that he is still ready to talk with Putin about the ceasefire proposal.
The U.S. President, who had previously criticized NATO multiple times, changed his tone this time and praised Rutte for his actions, describing his work as "fantastic."
Putin on the ceasefire
During a press conference following the Russian-Belarusian talks, Vladimir Putin was asked about Ukraine's readiness to end the war.
"We agree with the proposals for the ceasefire, but our position is based on the assumption that the ceasefire would lead to long-term peace, something that would remove the initial reasons for the crisis," Putin emphasized.
"As for Ukraine's readiness for a ceasefire, there was a meeting between Americans and Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia, and it looks like the decision was made by the Ukrainian side under American pressure," he stated.
