US President Donald Trump on Thursday termed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statements on Ukraine and the US-proposed ceasefire as “promising” but short of full commitment.
Speaking at the Oval Office during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump expressed cautious optimism while urging Russia to support the proposed truce.
“Precisely what Putin has released is a very encouraging statement, but it wasn’t finished,” Trump stated, according to Reuters. “We hope Russia will do the right thing.”
Trump reiterated that earnest talks were going on between the US, Russia, and other important players. However, he added that diplomatic processes were still in the making.
We’re receiving words that everything is fine in Russia, but that’s not going to mean anything until we hear the ultimate result,” Trump said. “Hopefully, they all want to terminate this nightmare.”
The US president also cautioned that a rejection of the peace agreement by Moscow would be a reverse for international stability.
“A lot of details of a final agreement have been discussed. Now we’ll see if Russia is on board. If not, it will be a very disappointing moment for the world,” he added.
Earlier, Putin had expressed conditional support for the 30-day ceasefire plan, which aims to halt hostilities on land, sea, and air. However, he insisted that long-term peace must address deeper geopolitical issues.
“We agree with the proposal to cease hostilities, but only if it leads to lasting peace and tackles the root causes of the crisis,” Putin stated during a press conference alongside Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
The Kremlin has suggested that further discussions, potentially including a direct call between Putin and Trump, will be needed to finalize the agreement.
