US President Donald Trump, in the run-up to the election in the US, claimed to solve the Russia-Ukraine issue in ’24 hours’. However, Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine has not allowed Trump’s promise to come to fruition.
US President Donald Trump has asked Russia and Ukraine to meet for “very high-level talks”, as he asserted that both countries are “very close to a deal” on ending the bloody three-year war. Trump, who arrived in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, posted on Truth Social, “They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to finish it off.” Notably, his envoy, Steve Witkoff, had visited Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
“Most of the major points are agreed upon. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!” Trump further wrote.
Trump’s latest announcement comes after he emphasised that “Crimea will stay with Russia”, which is the latest example of how he has been pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to end the war while the country remains under siege.
The US President has also persuaded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ‘immediately’ sign the minerals deal with the US, giving Washington access to his nation’s mineral resources.
As Russia continues with its bombardment of Ukraine, progress on ending the war has seemed elusive in recent months. While Trump’s admonishment of Putin came earlier this week, Trump’s focus has largely been on urging Zelenskyy to cut a deal that would involve ceding territory to Ukraine’s invader.
In an interview with Time magazine, Trump described Crimea as a place where Russia has “had their submarines” and “the people speak largely Russian”.
While asserting that “Crimea will stay with Russia”, Trump noted, “And Zelenskyy understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time. It’s been with them long before Trump came along.”
Zelenskyy, in his response, said that recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line for his country.
(With agency inputs)