Trump: Putin Wants a Settlement on the Ukraine War

US President Donald Trump said today, Sunday, that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wants to reach an agreement regarding the war with Ukraine, accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of not wanting to do so.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said: "Russia wants to make a deal... but, for some reason, Zelenskyy does not want to make a deal."

Trump added, referring to a phone call he had with Putin on Friday: "President Putin strongly desires to reach a settlement."

The US president criticized his Ukrainian counterpart for failing to hold elections since the outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine in 2022.

Trump said: "I believe he should have held elections and could have settled this matter on several occasions."

Trump and Zelenskyy exchanged sharp criticisms on Saturday following Washington's move to ease sanctions imposed on Russian diesel.

On Friday, Trump announced that he had spoken with Putin and agreed to allow Moscow to release large quantities of diesel into global markets.

Ukraine and its European allies expressed dissatisfaction with this step, with Zelenskyy describing it as a "weak decision" in statements to journalists on Friday.

When asked about these criticisms on Saturday, Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy violated his orders not to strike Russian oil refineries.

He noted that these strikes exacerbate the global fuel shortage caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.