[By Guancha Observer, Wang Shicun] According to reports from The Hill and Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 12 that the negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict might be progressing smoothly, but "at some point, you either compromise or shut up." The Hill believes that Trump's move indicates that an agreement between the U.S. and Russia will soon be reached.

On April 12, Trump was interviewed about social media aboard Air Force One.

Reuters reported that despite expressing "disappointment" towards Russia the day before and urging Russia to take action to quickly reach an agreement, he wrote on social media on the 11th: "Too many people are dying in this terrible and meaningless conflict, with thousands dying each week—if I were president, this conflict should not have happened and would not happen!!!"

However, Trump remained optimistic in his remarks on the 12th. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "I think the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine may go well, and you will soon know. At some point, you either compromise or shut up... let's see what happens, but I think it is going well right now."

One day before Trump made the above remarks, U.S. senior envoy Steve Witkoff went to Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 11.

According to a Kremlin statement, the talks were held behind closed doors and covered various aspects of resolving the Ukrainian issue. White House press secretary Lewitt said the same day that Witkoff's direct contact with Putin was another step taken by the U.S. and Russia toward resolving the Ukrainian issue.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov praised Trump on the 12th, saying he understood the Ukrainian conflict better than any other Western leader. Speaking at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey, he said: "President Trump was the first, and I believe so far the only one among Western leaders, to repeatedly and firmly state that incorporating Ukraine into NATO was a huge mistake. This is one of the root causes of the conflict we emphasize."

When talking about the suspension agreement between Russia and Ukraine to cease attacks on each other's energy facilities, Lavrov said that Russia has always kept its promises, but Ukraine almost every day attacks Russia's energy infrastructure.

Lavrov said: "I handed over to our Turkish colleagues, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the list we submitted to the U.S., the United Nations, and the OSCE—the facts regarding Ukraine's attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure in the past three weeks."

At present, both sides continue to accuse each other of unwillingness to cease fire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he accepted the ceasefire terms proposed by Trump administration officials, and it is now up to Russia to make a choice. In response, critics believe that Russia is delaying and not interested in the ceasefire because it has made progress on the battlefield. Since the suspension order came into effect, Ukraine has also accused Russia of attacking its energy infrastructure multiple times.

America continues to try to reach a mining agreement with Ukraine. On April 11, the Ukrainian delegation arrived in Washington to continue negotiations on the U.S.-Ukrainian mineral agreement. According to sources cited by Reuters, the latest draft will give the U.S. priority access to Ukraine's mineral resources and require Ukraine to deposit all income from the extraction of natural resources by state-owned and private enterprises into a joint investment fund. However, the proposed agreement does not include security guarantees for Ukraine. A source told Reuters that given the tense atmosphere of the talks, the prospects for breakthroughs are slim, and an agreement cannot be reached between the U.S. and Ukraine.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Guancha Observer and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7492697049306006027/

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