Trump claims Russia may prolong Ukraine ceasefire talks

Trump commented on this topic on the program "Greg Kelly Reports," conducted from the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

Trump on the war in Ukraine: "I think that Russia wants to see an end to it"

"I don't know. I mean, I'll let you know at a certain point. But 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, you know; 'I don't want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game, but maybe I don't want to do it. Zelensky would also like to see it end at this point," said Trump.

According to him, both sides lose an average of 2,500 soldiers per week.

"They’re not Americans, but it doesn’t matter to me, from that standpoint," said Trump. "I see the pictures of the battlefields; I’d rather not even see them. We have arms and legs and heads all over the field. The weaponry is ridiculous. It’s a big drone deal now, I just want to see it stop," he reiterated.

At the same time, Trump announced that the US would consider all of Moscow's conditions for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, which were presented during talks in Saudi Arabia from March 23-25. "There are five or six conditions. We are looking at all of them," Trump emphasized.

Russian demands include, among others, lifting sanctions on Rosselkhozbank and other banks involved in food and fertilizer exports, as well as on producers and exporters of agricultural products and ships under the Russian flag carrying these goods.

The US president has repeatedly emphasized that he intends to end the war within 24 hours of taking office. He called the Russian dictator his "best friend." For weeks, Trump has been repeating that there is a breakthrough—only in his view—in the ceasefire talks, and the talks themselves are going "well."

The US proposed starting the peace process with a 30-day ceasefire. "It's hard to agree on a long-term cessation of war while they're shooting at each other," explained US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Russian President Vladimir Putin supported this proposal but noted there are "nuances." He believes the problems are the control over compliance with future agreements and further arms supplies to Ukraine.

As reported by The Moscow Times, the Kremlin opted for a strategy of prolonging peace talks to gain as much territory as possible. "Time is currently on our side, and we’ll try to make the most of it," said a Russian diplomat. Another source added that in an ideal scenario, the US would turn a blind eye to further Russian offensives or pressure Kyiv to fully withdraw from the regions occupied by Russia.

Despite not fully controlling the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, Putin incorporated them into the Russian constitution and — as explained by a Kremlin-connected official — cannot afford to lose them.

During a closed meeting with representatives of big business on March 18, Putin made it clear that a quick end to the war should not be expected. As reported by "Kommersant," the Russian president said that if Kyiv does not recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea and the four "new regions," Russia will launch an offensive on Odesa and other areas of Ukraine.

Last week, Russians attacked residential districts in the city of Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine with drones. "It's just hell," could be read on one of the Telegram channels.

On March 20, Ukrainians reported a massive Russian attack on Odesa. On March 23, in another night attack on Ukraine, Russia used 147 drones. Of these, 97—as reported by the Ukrainian air force—were shot down. Unfortunately, drone debris fell on homes and streets, causing death and destruction. In Kyiv, three people died, including a five-year-old child, and 10 people were injured.

On Monday, Russian missiles wounded over 70 people in Sumy. A school and hospital were among the damaged.