Volker: Trump wants to end war in Ukraine, but doesn’t want to directly pressure Putin
Former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker said that U.S. President Donald Trump considers ending the war in Ukraine one of his top priorities, but avoids direct pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He said this in an interview with Ukrinform, Censor.NET reports.
He noted that Trump does not want to "irritate" Putin, as he believes that this will make it difficult to reach an agreement. Instead, he may refer the issue of sanctions to Congress.
"There are 84 senators in the Senate - that's a lot - who are ready to support legislation to strengthen sanctions, particularly against Russian oil, gas, and the financial sector...Trump can give the senators the green light and then tell Putin that he gave him a chance to stop the war," Volker explained.
He also added that Trump wants to retain the freedom of action to use sanctions as a tool of pressure in negotiations. According to the diplomat, the US president is disappointed with Putin's unwillingness to agree to a truce, even though Ukraine, the US, and the EU are seeking it.
Volker emphasized that Trump is really committed to a peace deal: "He wants a negotiated deal. So he will continue to try."
