In a new interview, US President Donald Trump said that russian ruler vladimir putin seeks agreements, and the main obstacle to peace was not him, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s lack of "cards".
Trump emphasized this in an interview with the Special Report program on the Fox News channel.
Answering a journalist's direct question whether he considers putin the main obstacle to achieving peace, Trump avoided accusations against the russian ruler, instead shifting the emphasis to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Look, I had a real rough session with Zelenskyy because I didn't like what he said, and he was not making it easy. And I always said he doesn't have the cards, and he doesn't have the cards," the American leader noted.
Although the host reminded Trump of his post on the Truth Social network with an appeal to putin - "Vladimir, STOP" - he did not accuse the kremlin leader of continuing the war. On the contrary, Trump emphasized that putin, in his opinion, wants negotiations and is tired of the war.
"He is not looking good. And he wants to look good. Don't forget, this was supposed to end in one week. And if he didn't get stuck in the mud with his army tanks all over the place, he would've been in Kyiv in about five hours," the head of the White House added.
Trump also emphasized once again that only he personally can resolve the conflict.
"There is a lot of hatred on both sides. I have a very good relationship with Putin; I think we'll make a deal," Trump said.
The US President also noted that if diplomatic efforts fail, he is ready to resort to economic pressure on russia - in particular, to impose sanctions on oil and those who buy it, as proposed by a group of senators led by Lindsey Graham. However, he called this a last resort.
"I will use it if I need to. But I would rather not. If we don't get a deal, I will. It would be devastating for Russia because they have problems with their economy. Oil prices are low. This will change the situation," the American President concluded.
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