April 25, Editor Huang Junzhi from the Financial Network - US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russia had not "taken over" Ukraine, which was a concession towards peace. Trump has been mediating ceasefire agreements between Moscow and Kiev, but so far even limited ceasefire agreements have not been reached, and the US side is gradually losing patience.
On the same day, during a meeting with the Norwegian Prime Minister in the Oval Office, when asked about what concessions Russia had made "so far to achieve a goal closer to peace," Trump responded to reporters.
"Stopping the war and not occupying the entire country (Ukraine) is quite a big concession," Trump replied.
Trump further pointed out that Russia was not an obstacle to peace, but he also added that if no agreement could be reached, he would be willing to exert greater pressure on Moscow. Earlier on Thursday, Trump demanded that Putin stop the attack on Ukraine, following a major strike on Ukraine on Wednesday night.
"Let me put it this way, things will happen. We have put great pressure on Russia, and Russia knows this, as do those who are now close to him; otherwise, he would not have sent out the 'peace negotiation invitation' at this time," Trump said.
This Monday, Putin proposed holding talks with Ukraine for the first time in years. It should be noted that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, the two sides have not engaged in direct dialogue. Subsequently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also "softened his stance," indicating that if Russia first agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire, Kyiv was prepared to directly negotiate with Moscow to end the war.
Trump has repeatedly stated that he hopes Russia and Ukraine can reach an agreement as soon as possible. However, as the failed 30-hour "loyalty test" between Russia and Ukraine during Easter and mutual accusations of breaking the ceasefire agreement, the US is becoming increasingly "impatient" in mediating the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Trump warned that if either party or both parties make negotiations very difficult, "we will no longer participate."
US Secretary of State Rubio also stated that negotiations on the Ukraine issue cannot remain stagnant, and if there are no signals of agreement between Russia and Ukraine in the short term, the US will not continue to mediate.
"If it is feasible, we will participate; if it is not, we have other priorities to focus on," he emphasized.
It remains unclear whether the US will stop providing military support or intelligence sharing to Ukraine, which is crucial for Ukraine's defense against Russia.
When asked about future US support, Trump's latest statement was: "Let's see what happens. I think we need to make a deal, ask this question again in two weeks."
Officials in the Trump administration said that Ukraine should be prepared to cede some land to Russia in exchange for peace and agree not to join NATO. Critics of the president's approach said that he had already made concessions before peace negotiations even began and had hardly made any demands on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump once said that Zelenskyy was harder to deal with than Putin.
(Huang Junzhi from the Financial Network)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497039158087516691/
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