Trump Declares Putin and Zelensky ‘Both Want Peace’ Hours After Kyiv Bombing Left 12 Dead
President Donald Trump is insisting that both Russia and Ukraine “want peace,” despite a deadly bombing in Ukraine’s capital hours earlier that left 12 dead, including children.
The comments came during a press gaggle with Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, when Trump was asked whether Russian strongman Vladimir Putin is serious about peace in the three-year-long war with Ukraine.
“We think they both want peace, but they have to get to the table,” Trump said in response. “We’ve been waiting a long time. Have to get them to the table. I think we’re going to get peace.”
Read the full exchange below:
REPORTER: Mr. President, on Russia, do you still believe that Putin is serious about peace given the events in Ukraine. If the bombing doesn’t end, are you considering more sanctions?
TRUMP: We think they both want peace, but they have to get to the table. We’ve been waiting a long time. Have to get them to the table. I think we’re going to get peace. We want to save 5,000 young people — I used to say 2,500. I now say 5,000. We have Mr. Prime Minister, we have about 5,000 young people a week that are dying in that ridiculous war. You know, I started out because I didn’t like all the money that we were paying. I realized how many people were dying. That’s by far the more important element right now. Saying we can save thousands of people. I don’t like that it takes long at all. But I think they both want to make peace. I do believe so. There’s a lot of hatred there. A lot of very bad blood. I hope we’ll get there. For the sake of a lot of young people that are dying.
REPORTER: Is there a deadline for when-
TRUMP: I have my own deadline. I have my own deadline. We want it to be fast. The prime minister is helping us. He wants it to be fast, too. I think everybody in this — at this time in NATO, they want to see it happen. So we have a deadline. After that, we will have a very much different attitude. I think it has a very good chance of getting done.
Trump’s remarks came on the heels of a new missile and drone strike in Kyiv, where 12 people were killed in Russia’s deadliest strike on the capital in nine months, according to the Associated Press. Another 90 people were injured.
After the bombing, Trump addressed Putin directly, asking him to end the violence.
“Vladimir, STOP!” Trump pleaded in a post to his Truth Social platform Thursday.
A day earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is “frustrated” with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as peace negotiations continue with Russia.
Leavitt spoke to the press on Wednesday after the president accused Zelensky of stalling negotiations with his “inflammatory” comments. Trump was responding to Zelensky declaring that Ukraine will not formally cede Crimea to Russia as part of the negotiations to end Russia’s invasion.
Trump blasted Zelensky and former President Barack Obama — who was president when Crimea was invaded in 2014 — in his message.
Watch above via Fox News.
