Trump: Russia and Ukraine ceasefire talks begin “quickly”
President Donald Trump said peace talks between Russia and Ukraine would begin “quickly” after a two-hour call with Vladimir Putin.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin recently called “crazy” and warned him that he was “playing on fire,” President Donald Trump continued to express his disappointment at the escalation of attacks on Ukraine by Russian leaders, who are currently undergoing peace talks.
“I am very disappointed that it happened a few nights now that people were killed in the middle of what you call negotiations. I am very disappointed with it.”
Russian troops have said that in Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kiev, they have killed at least 12 people and injured dozens more in the biggest air attacks of the war so far.
Trump responded to the attack in a May 25 social media post that President Putin declared he was “absolutely crazy.”
The Kremlin called Trump emotionally.
“This is a very important moment, and of course it is linked to the emotional overload of everyone, absolutely and emotional response,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about Trump’s comments about Putin.
Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine, and Trump has urged President Putin to issue a warning on May 27th on social media that he is “playing on fire.”
“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it hadn’t been for me, it would have really happened to Russia, and I meant that it was really bad,” Trump wrote.
The president refused to say what the outcome of Russia would be if the attack continued.
“I’m not going to tell you exactly, but the words speak pretty loud,” he said.
Trump tried to agree to a ceasefire in a war three years ago in Ukraine, and gave a speech with Putin for more than two hours earlier this month.
On May 28, when asked if he believed Putin still wanted to end the war, Trump said, “I can’t tell you,” suggesting that the next few weeks will be revealed.
“It seems they want to do something, but until the document is signed, I can’t tell you, no one can,” Trump said.
There is growing calls for the US to impose strong sanctions on Russia.
Asked why he stopped impose new sanctions, Trump said: “If I think I’m approaching getting a deal, I don’t want to ruin it by doing it.”
“We need to know when to use it,” Trump added.
Contributions: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Francesca Chambers, Reuters
