President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on the ongoing war in Ukraine on Tuesday and how he may start to apply pressure on Russia to end its invasion.
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When asked about whether or not he would impose additional sanctions on Russia to force Moscow to come to the table and broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump said it “sounds likely.”
The president has continued to call for ending the violence, saying that both sides need to negotiate in order to end the war.
The invasion of Ukraine kicked off almost three years ago and has since left thousands dead on both sides of the war.
Trump also said on Tuesday that he had talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping and suggested that Beijing could help the two sides mediate a resolution.
“I said, you ought to get it settled, because he’s not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of power,” Trump said.
Trump sidestepped a follow-up question about whether or not he intends to cut off funding from Ukraine. He did say that European nations should be doing more since they are closer to the fighting.
The president was asked about Ukraine and Russia on Monday night while he signed executive orders from the Resolute Desk. He shared that at least Ukraine is ready to come to the table.
“[Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy told me he wants to make a deal, I don’t know if Putin does,” Trump said to reporters.
He continued, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hesitancy may end up being destructive for Russia.
“[Putin] might not. I think he should make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal,” Trump said.
“I think Russia is kinda in big trouble. You take a look at their economy. You take a look at their inflation in Russia. I got along with [Putin] great. I would hope he wants to make a deal,” he went on to say.
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