WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
United States President Donald Trump said he thinks he has a deal with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said he had found working with the Ukrainian leader more difficult than he had expected, although he said progress had been made on both sides.
"I think Russia is ready and many have said that Russia wanted to go all the way. I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to make a deal with Zelensky," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
He said he thought it would be easier to work with Zelensky.
"So far, it's been harder... But I think we have a deal with both of them. There are a lot of lives at stake here," Trump said.
When asked about the US proposal that would include the recognition of Crimea as "de jure" territory of Russia, Trump did not give a specific answer, stating that there are "no favorites" between Ukraine and Russia and that his goal is to end the war.
Trump accused Zelensky of jeopardizing peace talks with "inflammatory" statements
However, Trump also accused his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky of jeopardizing peace talks with Russia, and as he said, "a peace agreement to end the war is imminent", emphasizing that Ukraine is in a very bad negotiating position.
On his account on the social network "Truth Social", Trump criticized Zelensky for a statement to the Wall Street Journal in which he said that "Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea", describing the statement as very harmful to the negotiations.
"Crimea has been under the auspices of (former US) President Barack Hussein Obama for years, so it's not even a topic for discussion. No one is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, but if he wants Crimea - why didn't they fight for it 11 years ago, when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" Trump wrote, adding that "inflammatory" statements like those allegedly made by Zelensky make the path to ending the war more difficult.
Trump assessed that Ukraine is in a "terrible" situation.
"I can have peace or fight for three more years before the entire country is gone," Trump wrote, adding that he still wants to save "an average of five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week who are dying for no reason."
The American president stated that Zelenski's statement can only prolong the suffering.
"Today's statement by Zelenskiy will do nothing but extend the 'killing field', and nobody wants that! We are very close to an agreement, but the man who 'doesn't have the cards to play' should end it all now. I look forward to being able to help Ukraine and Russia get out of this complete and total mess, which would never have started if I were president," he pointed out.
