Washington, Oct 18: US President Donald Trump on Friday expressed confidence in his ability to help broker a “long-lasting” peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, despite admitting that deep personal animosity between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to block progress toward a settlement.
Speaking during a bilateral lunch with Zelenskyy at the White House, Trump acknowledged the “tremendous bad blood” between the two leaders but maintained that peace remains achievable.
“They don’t like each other. I say that in front of President Zelenskyy, but I say it in front of President Putin too. They have tremendous bad blood. It really is holding up, I think, a settlement. I think we’re going to get it done,” Trump said.
The US President said he envisions a durable resolution similar to the normalisation agreements his administration helped broker in the Middle East, including the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“We have to make it long-lasting, as I said in the Middle East everlasting. The Middle East was far more complicated, involving 59 countries, and yet it worked. This one will get done. I had a very good talk yesterday with President Putin. I think he wants to get it done,” he added.
Trump’s remarks followed his hour-long phone conversation with Putin on Thursday. He confirmed that the two leaders are likely to meet in Hungary in the coming weeks for further discussions.
However, Trump appeared reluctant to approve the sale of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine during his talks with Zelenskyy, despite having earlier warned Moscow that the US could arm Kyiv if the conflict continued.
“I have an obligation to make sure that we’re fully stocked as a country. We’d much rather have Ukraine not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over,” he said.
Earlier in the week, Trump had told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was considering sending Tomahawks to Kyiv if the war “does not get settled soon.”
The US President’s renewed optimism comes as Washington weighs its next steps in balancing support for Ukraine with efforts to de-escalate tensions with Moscow, amid mounting global calls for an end to the prolonged conflict.