President Donald Trump said the US would be willing to provide aid to Ukraine as part of a security agreement for termination war with Russia, but it is still expressed frustration with the pace of negotiations.
– Yes, we would help – Trump told reporters on Thursday in the Oval Office.
– We would help with certainty, because I think it is a necessary factor to achieve the goal – he said.
However, he expressed disappointment that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not sign off more readily on the US peace plan, adding to the pressure on officials in Kiev who rejected an earlier US proposal that was seen as too lenient towards Moscow.
– I thought that we were very close to reaching an agreement with Russia. I thought we were very close to Ukraine reaching a deal, actually, except for President Zelensky,” Trump said.
His comments came after his spokeswoman described him as “extremely frustrated with both sides of this war” and “tired of meetings just for the sake of meeting”.
– We don’t want any more talks. We want action – White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.
Leavitt did not promise whether the U.S. would send anyone to a weekend meeting between Ukraine and several European countries on the latest U.S. offer, which is a watered-down version of an earlier 28-point plan that would have demanded huge concessions from Ukraine. Trump said that his interest is to “resolve” the conflict.
– We will attend the meeting on Saturday in Europe if we think there is a good chance. And we don’t want to waste much time. We think that is negative – he said.
Zelensky previously mentioned the possibility of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand over the Donbass region to Russia. The Kremlin has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from its eastern territories, which include areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that the Russian military failed to capture in its nearly four-year invasion.
– It’s not the easiest thing. It’s like a complex real estate deal multiplied by a thousand, right? – he said
The US has dramatically reduced direct military aid to Ukraine under Trump, instead favoring a system under which other NATO allies could buy US weapons for Kiev.
While Washington has previously suggested it might provide intelligence or air support to Ukraine as part of the deal, Trump on Thursday did not specify what kind of security guarantees he was willing to provide. The package has been the subject of negotiations between the White House and Ukrainian officials in recent days.
Zelenski previously submitted a new version of the peace plan to the White House, following talks with key European partners this week. The 20-point draft is a “fundamental document” for ending the war, Zelenski said
Ukrainian territory is at the center of current talks between Washington, Kiev and Moscow as negotiators make slow progress toward a potential agreement to end the war.
Zelensky’s problem is that his country’s armed forces are facing serious manpower shortages, and Russia is still slowly but surely gaining territory, giving that country’s leader, Vladimir Putin, little incentive to end the invasion, Reuters reports.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
