US President Donald Trump said he believes Russia wants to end its war with Ukraine, but may be “dragging their feet”.
The most famous saying of Donald Trump was that he could end the war in 24 hours during the election campaign. Before the war, Putin believed he could defeat Ukraine in 48 hours and establish a new government in 72 hours. Today is the 1028th day of the war. It shown that both Putin and Trump were too optimistic indeed.
The White House says Ukraine and Russia have agreed to “ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.” Ukraine’s Zelensky says in a news conference that Kyiv has agreed to stop using military force in the Black Sea, but shortly after, the Kremlin says it will agree provided financial sanctions are lifted on key Russian institutions – thereby making the deal void.
Following that call, Trump told the press that he believes Russia wants to end its war with Ukraine, but that Moscow could be delaying a deal. “I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet. I’ve done it over the years.”
Peace would come, but apparently longer than the expectation of most people. It seems that Russia wants to drive Ukrainian troops completely away from the border before continuing negotiation.