- US President Trump said hatred between Russian and Ukrainian leaders is a major obstacle to ending the war
- Donald Trump claimed he nearly brokered a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine two months ago
- The US President also said that Vladimir Putin should have won the Ukraine war in one week
US President Donald Trump has said the "hatred" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had become a major obstacle to ending the war, claiming he had nearly brokered a peace deal two months ago.
"I thought we had a deal. The hatred of the two leaders (Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky) is a lot, it is an obstacle. There's no question about it. But I thought we had a deal two months ago. Who would think I created peace in the Middle East and can't get the two guys to settle? But I think we'll get them," Trump said at a Ballroom Dinner event on Wednesday.
Taking a swipe at Putin, Trump said the Russian leader should have won the Ukraine war "in one week" but is now being dragged into its fourth year.
The US President also said the prolonged conflict had tarnished Putin's image, saying "it doesn't make him look good."
"And all we want from President Putin is stop this. Stop killing Ukrainians and stop killing Russians, because he's killing a lot of Russians. Again, it doesn't make him look good. It's a war that he should have won in one week, and he's now going into his fourth year," he said.
Trump also claimed that India had assured him it would stop buying Russian oil. "But if India doesn't buy oil, it makes it much easier. And they're not going to buy. They assured me they will, within a short period of time, they will not be buying oil from Russia. And they will go back to Russia after the war is over," he said.
Last week, Trump had said that Washington and NATO allies were "stepping up the pressure" to end the war in Ukraine, after his outreach to Putin failed to achieve a ceasefire.
"Yeah, we are stepping up the pressure," Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb when asked by an AFP reporter if he would increase efforts for a deal. "We're stepping it up together. We're all stepping it up. NATO has been great," he added.
The US President last month after meeting President Zelenskyy had said that Ukraine could win back all of its territory from Russia, and even go further.
