Putin is not obstacle, he wants deal. Real obstacle is that Zelenskyy has no "trump cards" – Trump
US President Donald Trump said that Vladimir Putin is eager to reach an agreement, and called Vladimir Zelenskyy's lack of "trump cards" the main obstacle to peace, not him.
According to Censor.NET, Trump said this in an interview with Fox News.
When asked by a journalist whether Putin was the main obstacle to peace, Trump bluntly replied that the key problem was the Ukrainian president's weak negotiating position. According to him, Zelenskyy has "no trump cards" necessary for serious diplomacy.
"Listen, I had a rather difficult conversation with Zelenskyy because I didn't like what he said. And he didn't make it any easier. I've always said he has no trump cards. And he really doesn't," Trump said.
Although the host reminded Trump of his post on Truth Social addressing Putin, the White House chief did not blame the Kremlin leader for the continuation of the war. On the contrary, Trump stressed that Putin, in his opinion, wants to negotiate and is tired of the war.
"He doesn't look very good right now. And he wants to look good. Don't forget, it was supposed to be over in a week. If he hadn't gotten stuck in the mud with those tanks, they would have been in Kyiv in five hours," Trump said.
The US president also said that he was the only one who could mediate an end to the war because he had personal ties with Putin. According to him, there will be no deal without him.
"There can't be a meeting without me, because, in my opinion, the deal won't go through without me. I have a very good relationship with Putin. I think we will reach an agreement," Trump said.
The President also noted that if diplomatic efforts fail, he is ready to resort to economic pressure on Russia, including sanctions on oil and those who buy it, as proposed by a group of senators led by Lindsey Graham. However, he called this a last resort.
"I will use it if I need to. But I would rather not. If we don't get a deal, I will. It would be devastating for Russia because they have problems with their economy. Oil prices are low. This will change the situation," Trump concluded.
As a reminder, US President Donald Trump intends to speak with the Russian side in the next "hours or days" after the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on 16 May.
