By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has stated that Washington will halt all assistance to Kiev if Ukraine does not demonstrate a genuine commitment to negotiating peace with Moscow.

Trump also noted that Russia has been more cooperative than Ukraine regarding a potential resolution to the conflict.

“I have to know that they want to settle [the conflict],” Trump told journalists on Friday when asked about continued US military aid to Ukraine. He admitted that he was uncertain whether Kiev was truly committed to peace.

“If they don’t want to settle, we’re out of there, because we want them to settle,” Trump emphasized.

According to the president, Washington has had more constructive discussions with Moscow than with Kiev, despite Russia holding a stronger position in the conflict.

Trump added that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to reach a peace deal.

“I think we’re doing very well with Russia,” he said, while describing negotiations with Ukraine as “more difficult.”

Tensions between Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky came to a head last Friday during a meeting at the White House.

The discussion, initially intended to finalize an agreement granting the US access to Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals, escalated into a heated exchange.

Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War III” by refusing to engage in peace talks with Russia, leading to the agreement being abruptly put on hold.

In his recent address to the US Congress, Trump revealed that he had received a letter from Zelensky in which the Ukrainian leader reportedly agreed to participate in negotiations in the near future.

Following this dispute, the US suspended all military assistance and intelligence-sharing operations with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, last month, high-level US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the Ukraine conflict. Both sides reportedly agreed to work toward restoring diplomatic relations. Russia has consistently expressed openness to peace talks and has also signaled interest in economic cooperation with the US across various sectors.