President Trump on Friday was adamant he was not being “played” in talks to end the war in Ukraine and sounded a confident note he would be able to close the deal after Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated the clock was ticking on negotiations.
“We’re going to get it stopped, ideally. Now, if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people and we’re just going to take a pass.’ But hopefully we won’t have to do that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“I think we have a good chance of solving the problem, however,” Trump added.
Asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was stalling, as many skeptics have argued, Trump said he hoped not. Trump also brushed back a question about whether he was being played by Russia.
“No, nobody’s playing me. I’m trying to help,” Trump said.
“Nobody’s playing anybody. We are going to see if we can get it done,” he added. “I think we have a really good chance of getting it done. And it’s coming to a head right now.”
Trump would not say whether he would continue to provide support to Ukraine if ceasefire talks failed.
“I’m not going to say that, because I think we’re going to get it done,” Trump said.
Rubio said earlier Friday after talks in Paris that the U.S. was reaching a point where it had to decide whether a resolution was possible.
“Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio said.
Trump has for months been pressing for a ceasefire in Ukraine, where fighting has been underway since Russian forces invaded in February 2022 after amassing troops near the border. He said on the campaign trail he would be able to end the war before even taking office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he accepted the terms of a 30-day ceasefire laid out by Trump administration officials, putting the ball in Russia’s court.
Critics have argued Russia is dragging its feet and is not interested in a ceasefire as it makes gains on the battlefield.
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