US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his intention to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible in a Monday conversation with reporters. He added that he would ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin honors any peace agreement.
Trump expressed confidence that Putin would “follow through” on his commitments, stating, “I think he will do that. I don’t want to impose a secondary oil tariff, but I would do it if I thought he wasn’t fulfilling his obligation.”
However, the US president did not rule out the possibility of imposing secondary tariffs on Russian oil or new sanctions if the peace process stalled.
Trump also expressed hope that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would uphold his part of the agreement, but criticized him for repeatedly trying to renegotiate the “Rare Earths Agreement” which would grant the US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. While Trump presented the agreement as a way for Ukraine to repay past US aid, Zelenskyy has consistently maintained that Kiev owes the US nothing.
Trump commented, “We made a deal on rare earths. It was all done. Now they’re saying, ‘Now, I’ll only do the deal if we’re admitted to NATO.'”
Trump reiterated that Ukraine’s NATO membership was not in question and suggested that contradictory statements were likely the reason for the escalation of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev in 2022.
Earlier, Trump had threatened Zelenskyy with “big problems” if he rejected the US-Ukraine agreement on Ukraine’s resources. However, the Ukrainian president, whose regular term as Ukraine’s president ended in May, claimed that the agreement’s framework had been changed since their meeting at the White House in late February, where a heated argument took place, with Trump accusing Zelenskyy of ingratitude and warning of the risk of a third world war. After the meeting, Trump told journalists that Zelenskyy did not currently have the willingness to make a peace deal with Russia.
On Sunday, the White House occupant told NBC that he was “very angry” over Putin’s proposal to place Ukraine under a temporary UN-led administration to organize new elections, with Russia having long claimed that Zelenskyy is illegitimate, as his term ended in May 2024.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently stated that Moscow and Washington were exploring several ideas to resolve the Ukraine conflict and added that Putin was open to any contact with Trump. Russia maintains that the conflict could be resolved if Ukraine committed to neutrality and demilitarization and accepted the new territorial arrangements.