Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Thursday, Trump claimed he is "putting a lot of pressure on Russia," adding: "I think [President Vladimir Putin] wants to make a deal … but it takes two to tango.”
Trump said he has set his own, undisclosed deadline for ending the conflict, and warned that Washington's stance could harden if no deal emerges.
Kyiv and European leaders dismissed the idea that halting further advances amounts to a concession, arguing that Russian forces still occupy large swathes of Ukrainian territory.
Earlier in the day, Trump posted a rare public rebuke of Putin after Russian missile-and-drone strikes on Kyiv killed at least 12 people and wounded 90, the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital in nearly a year.
"Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Pressed by reporters about the post, Trump said the overnight bombardment occurred "in the midst of talking peace," adding: "I wasn’t happy with it."
On Wednesday, Trump criticized Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for rejecting a draft US proposal that would require Kyiv to cede Russian-occupied Crimea, a step Zelensky has long called a red line.
"There’s a lot of bad blood, a lot of distrust, but I hope we’re going to get there for the sake of the young people who are dying,” Trump said, telling reporters that both Moscow and Kyiv want peace.
(jh/gs)
Source: Euronews, PAP, IAR