What about ending the war in Ukraine? U.S. President Donald Trump responds bluntly: “No one outnegotiates me in talks on this issue.” At the moment, it is known that hostilities will be halted—but only for the duration of the Easter holidays.
During his election campaign, Donald Trump promised that if he became president, he would end the war in Ukraine. On January 9, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s chosen special envoy for peace in Ukraine, announced that the new president had pledged to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine within 100 days of his inauguration on January 20. On the day of his swearing-in, Trump declared that he intended to end the war “as quickly as possible.”
And indeed—negotiations with both sides of the conflict have been ongoing, but Moscow continues to violate the agreements being worked out. A recent example was the massive attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which occurred on Palm Sunday.
“No One Outnegotiates Me”
The U.S. president, during a Friday press conference at the White House, was asked whether he believed Russia was “outmaneuvering him” in the months-long negotiations aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“No one outnegotiates me. I’m trying to help,” he replied firmly.
Earlier that same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. should “determine whether (peace in Ukraine) is achievable within a few weeks or not.”
“If it is, we will engage in it. But if not, we have other priorities as well,” he said.
When asked if he agreed with these words, Donald Trump affirmed. He added that because of the war in Ukraine, people die every day, so those who do not want it to end are “cruel.”
Easter Truce
Also on Friday, Russian war criminal Vladimir Putin announced an “Easter truce” in the war against Ukraine. It is set to begin at 7:00 PM Polish time and last until midnight on April 21.
“Guided by humanitarian considerations, the Russian side declares an Easter truce from 18:00 to midnight from Sunday to Monday. On my order, all military operations during this time must be suspended. The reaction to the Easter truce will show how sincere Kyiv’s capabilities and willingness to participate in peace talks are. We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example,” he said, as quoted by the TASS agency.
He added that he welcomes the efforts of the U.S., China, and other countries to reach a fair resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.