US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he hopes Russia will sign on to a 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine lent its support to following a closely-watched summit with the US.
Trump hailed Ukraine’s acceptance of what he called a “total ceasefire” as a “big difference” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Feb. 28 White House visit. He said that if Russia does not sign on to the truce “lots of people” would continue to die amid the Kremlin’s war on its eastern European neighbor, and former Soviet republic.
“Now we have to go to Russia and hopefully President Putin will agree to that also. And we can get this show on the road,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully Russia will agree to it. We’re going to meet with them later on, today and tomorrow, and hopefully, we’ll be able to wipe out a deal. But I think the ceasefire is very important. If we can get Russia to do it, that’ll be great. If we can’t, we just keep going on, and people are going to get killed, lots of people,” he added.
Asked if Zelenskyy was invited back to the White House after the disastrous Oval Office feud in February, Trump said, “Sure. Absolutely.”
The president said he expects to speak with Putin this week about the ceasefire proposal, saying, “It takes two to tango.”
Trump’s White House sit-down with Zelenskyy devolved into repeated beratement of the Ukrainian leader by Trump and Vice President JD Vance who claimed the Ukrainian leader was disrespecting his hosts after Zelenskyy questioned whether Putin could be trusted as a negotiating partner.
Zelenskyy cited past agreements that the Russian leader repeatedly broke in the years leading up to the full-scale war he launched against Ukraine.
Trump has voiced varying levels of concern for Ukraine’s priorities in ending the conflict, and had already ruled out Kyiv’s membership in NATO, the transatlantic defensive alliance that Zelenskyy has sought to join. He also falsely accused Ukraine of starting Russia’s war.
Following the fracas, Zelenskyy abruptly departed the White House, leaving a critical minerals deal with the US unsigned, and he canceled a planned joint news conference with Trump.