'I want to see a ceasefire, rapidly': Trump says he will be ‘unhappy’ if no deal is reached today ahead of Putin talks
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'I want to see a ceasefire, rapidly': Trump says he will be ‘unhappy’ if no deal is reached today ahead of Putin talks")
Trump says he will be ‘unhappy’ if no deal is reached today ahead of Putin talks Photograph: (AFP)
President Trump said he wants a rapid ceasefire after meeting Putin, warning he’ll be “unhappy” if it doesn’t happen. He added Europe won’t dictate terms but will be involved.
US President Donald Trump has said he will be “unhappy” if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire soon after their summit in Alaska. “I want to see a ceasefire, rapidly. I don’t know if it’s going to be today, but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today. Everyone said it can’t be today, but I’m just saying I want the killing to stop,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump said there was “nothing set in stone” ahead of the talks but stressed that a ceasefire was among the “certain things” he hoped to secure.
‘Europe’s not telling me what to do’
The president said he was not acting as a European representative but would take allied views into account. “This is not to do with Europe. Europe’s not telling me what to do,” he said. “But they’re going to be involved in the process, obviously, along with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky,” he added. He described Putin as a “smart guy” with whom he shares “a good respect level”. “Been doing it for a long time, but so have I,” he said.
‘I’m in this to stop the killing’
Trump said his priority was halting the conflict, pointing to recent heavy losses. “They lost last week 7011 people, almost all soldiers; 36 people in a town which got hit by a missile. Over 7,000 soldiers. It’s crazy,” he said. While he noted that the US is profiting from weapons sales to NATO allies, Trump insisted that was not his main concern. “What I do care about is they lost last week 7011 people… it’s crazy,” he said.
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Push for trilateral summit
Trump has repeatedly said his ultimate goal is to arrange a three-way meeting between himself, Putin and Zelensky “almost immediately”. He told Fox News he would be able to judge within minutes whether the Alaska talks would succeed and was ready to walk away “real fast” if they did not go well. The president added he was not there to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf but to “get Putin to the table”.
Warning of severe consequences for Russia
Trump repeated his earlier warning that Russia could face “severe consequences” if it shows no willingness to end the war. “Economically severe. It will be very severe. I’m not doing this for my health, okay, I don’t need it. I’d like to focus on our country, but I’m doing this to save a lot of lives,” he said.
