President Trump warned on Friday that the US would cut back on support for Ukraine if he disagrees with Russia, saying that it would be “more difficult” to deal with Kiev than Moscow.
“I think we're doing very well with Russia, but now they're bombing Ukraine's hell,” Trump told reporters in the oval office.
Trump is pressing for an end to the war in Ukraine. Ukraine began in February 2022 when Russian troops began their invasion after gathering troops along the border. The administrative authorities will meet with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia last month and will meet with Saudi Ukrainian officials next week.
The president spoke with Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the conflict, and he was far more critical of Zelensky. The US has stopped recent military aid and sharing information with Kiev.
He asked why he wouldn't provide Ukraine with defensive military equipment so that Russia could prevent bombing, Trump said Friday he didn't know if Ukrainian leaders would want to end the war.
“We need to know what they want to calm down,” Trump said. “I don't know they want to settle down. If they don't want to settle down, we're out of there, because we want to settle down with them, and I'm doing it to stop death.”
Zelensky posted on social media earlier this week that Ukraine said, “We are ready to come to the negotiation table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. No one wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I are ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership.
Trump threatened additional sanctions and tariffs against Russia on Friday if he fails to come to the table due to a ceasefire agreement.
