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US President Donald Trump has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin still desires a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war in Ukraine, despite stalled ceasefire negotiations led by Washington.
In an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Trump was asked whether Putin genuinely wants peace. He responded, “I think he does.” The remark came just days after he appeared to cast doubt on Putin’s intentions following a high-profile meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome.
On Saturday, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, criticising recent Russian missile strikes on civilian areas in Ukraine. “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” he wrote. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along.”
Trump also told ABC that although Putin may have ambitions to seize all of Ukraine, those plans would not materialise “because of me.”
Despite pledging to end the war swiftly if re-elected, Trump has so far struggled to make headway. His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, signalled earlier on Tuesday that peace efforts might be abandoned unless both Ukraine and Russia submit viable proposals.
Meanwhile, President Putin has suggested a limited three-day ceasefire around Moscow’s upcoming events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. However, he has rejected a broader 30-day ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and the US.
