Trump: Ukraine Hasn’t Shown It Wants Peace

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has said ahead of American-Ukrainian talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine has not demonstrated that it wants peace with Russia.

On Sunday, a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One if he would resume military aid to Ukraine if it signed a partnership with the US on the development of its critical mineral deposits.

“I think they will sign the minerals deal. But I want them to want peace. Right now, they haven’t shown it to the extent that they should,” Trump said.

The US President further stated: “But I think they will be. I think it’s going to be evident over the next two or three days. I think, eventually, we’ll have peace.”

Trump reiterated that his priority is to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to save “human lives” on the battlefield. He said that he expected a “good result” from the planned US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.

Last week, Trump halted all weapons deliveries to Kiev and restricted intelligence sharing in the hope of persuading Ukraine to be more receptive to his mediation efforts.

The US president has said he finds it “more difficult” to deal with Ukraine than with Russia, as Kiev attempts to mend relations in the wake of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s disastrous visit to the White House last month.