At the same time, he criticized the Russian attacks on Kiev and called on Putin to stop violence and accelerate peace talks.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday, on his social network Truth Social, expressed the assumption that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin may not want to end in Ukraine and need to be negotiated otherwise – through sanctions. Trump published the post only a few hours after a short meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Vatican, where they both participated in the funeral of Pope Francis, and the day after he wrote that the agreement between Ukraine and Russia is “very close”. Informs TASR.
Trump and Zelenkyj before the funeral attended an appointment directly in the Vatican Basilica of Sts. Petra. It lasted approximately 15 minutes and was the first personal meeting of both statesmen after their quarrel in the White House of February 28.
Ukrainian sources described Saturday’s negotiations Trump-Zelenskyj as “constructive” and added that both presidents agreed to continue later during the day. Trump then flew from the Italian metropolis.
Putin has no reason to shoot
“Putin had no reason to shoot rockets at civilian areas, cities and villages in recent days. That forces me to think that he may not want to stop the war, just tapping me and needs to be treated differently, through ‘bank’ or ‘secondary sanctions’?
In the meantime, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Saturday, according to TASS, that Putin reiterated Putin during Friday’s meeting with Trump’s special ambassador Steve Witkoff that Moscow was ready to restore peaceful talks with Kiev “without any preliminary conditions”.
Trump criticized the Russian combined attack on the Ukrainian metropolis of Kiev on Thursday, claiming 12 victims and more than 80 injured, and Putin called for the strokes to stop.
“I’m not happy with Russian strikes on Kiev. They are not needed and are very badly timed. Vladimir, Stop!”, Trump told Putin. “5,000 soldiers die a week. Let’s conclude a peace agreement,” the US President said.
