Following recent talks between the United States and Russia aimed at resolving the Ukraine war, former US President Donald Trump voiced his belief that Russia is eager to end the conflict. He highlighted the immense toll the war has taken on soldiers from Ukraine, Russia, and even North Korea, calling the war “senseless” and asserting it should never have occurred. Trump insisted that the war would not have happened under his leadership.
During a signing ceremony for executive orders at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump stated, “Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the barbarianism that’s going on over there. Thousands of soldiers are being killed each week. In addition to Russian and Ukrainian casualties, many Koreans have also died.”
He went on to say, “We want to end it. It’s a senseless war. It should have never happened, and it wouldn’t have happened if I were president.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held discussions with US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Tuesday. These talks, which focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine, were aimed at finding a resolution. Both sides expressed a commitment to addressing the conflict’s root causes and working toward peace. After more than four hours of discussions in Saudi Arabia, the US and Russia agreed on four key principles, including the creation of a high-level team to help facilitate an end to the conflict in Ukraine that is acceptable to all parties involved, as reported by CNN.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not involved in the talks, made it clear that Ukraine would not accept any agreements made without its participation. He emphasized that Ukraine would not yield to Russian ultimatums.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the discussions in a post on X, stating, “FM Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov held talks with Secretary of State @SecRubio, National Security Adviser @michaelgwaltz, and US Special Envoy to the Middle East @SteveWitkoff. The sides agreed to establish #RussiaUS dialogue.”
In a subsequent press release, the Russian Foreign Ministry outlined the topics of discussion, which included efforts to normalize bilateral relations between the two countries. Both sides agreed to appoint ambassadors as soon as possible and to begin consultations at the deputy foreign minister level to ease diplomatic restrictions. They also reiterated their shared commitment to resolving the conflict in Ukraine, with Russia emphasizing the need to address the root causes of the war and ensure peace and security for all nations in the region.
The two countries agreed to continue joint efforts, appoint special envoys soon, and work towards organizing a meeting between the Russian and American presidents. Both Russia and the US also pledged to resume communication on other international issues, recognizing their unique responsibility as nuclear powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council.
