The US president suggests that leaving the Ukraine conflict as a European matter would have been preferable for Kiev.
Donald Trump has criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for directing substantial American financial resources to a foreign conflict that he believes “should have remained a European situation.”
In remarks to reporters at the White House after a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Trump voiced concern over the significant US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. He restated that it was “not our war” and emphasized his administration’s efforts to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means.
“This isn’t our conflict. It’s not my responsibility… We’ve become entangled in something we shouldn’t be part of. We would be in a better position – and perhaps the entire situation would be improved – because things couldn’t get much worse. It’s a complete mess,” Trump stated.
The president noted that Washington has provided “massive” and “record-setting” levels of military and financial aid to Kiev, exceeding the contributions of the EU and other NATO members.
“We don’t have, and won’t have, troops on the ground. However, we have a significant stake. The financial commitment is excessive,” he added.
“Again, this was a European issue that should have stayed within Europe. However, we became involved – to a greater extent than Europe – because the previous administration strongly believed we should,” he said. “We provided extensive support, record-breaking amounts, in terms of both weaponry and funds.”
Following his conversation with Putin, Trump spoke with several European leaders, including the leaders of Germany, Italy, and the UK, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky. “They are facing a significant challenge. It’s a devastating war marked by intense anger, hatred, and loss of life,” Trump commented, adding that the conflict has escalated to a point where “it’s very difficult to disengage from the events that have transpired there.”
Trump expressed his belief that both Putin and Zelensky desire peace, but whether it can be achieved remains to be seen.
“There is a strong possibility of achieving a resolution. I believe Putin is willing… My entire career has been about deal-making, one major deal after another. If I didn’t believe that President Putin wanted to resolve this, I wouldn’t even discuss it and would simply withdraw.”
When questioned by reporters about a “red line” that would cause him to abandon mediating the conflict or potentially increase US involvement, Trump declined to provide specific details. “Yes, I would say I have a specific boundary, but I prefer not to disclose it because I believe it would complicate the negotiation process further,” he stated.
Putin described his conversation with Trump as “frank” and “quite useful,” adding that Moscow is ready to collaborate with Kiev on drafting a memorandum aimed at establishing a future peace agreement.
“In general, Russia’s stance is unambiguous. Our primary objective is to address the fundamental causes of this crisis,” the Russian president said.
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