On 12 June, US President Donald Trump said he is disappointed with both Ukraine and Russia for failing to reach a peace agreement, instead of pressuring Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump was asked how close he is to stepping back from the Russia-Ukraine War, and whether he would leave it “in the hands of Europeans.“
In response, Trump stated:
“I’m very disappointed in Russia, but I’m disappointed in Ukraine also because I think deals could have been made.”
Despite Russia’s previous rejection of a 30-day ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and ongoing escalation, Trump continued to place responsibility on both the aggressor and the invaded nation for the absence of a peace agreement.
He described the war as a “blood bath” and claimed, “we’re losing 5-6 thousand people a week, soldiers mostly but also people living in towns because they’re getting hit by missiles again. How’d you like to live in a building and think a missile has a good chance of hitting your building during the evening? It’s horrible.”
Trump touts past diplomatic efforts
Trump shifted to discussing other international conflicts, referencing alleged diplomatic achievements he claimed to have been involved in:
“We did great with India and Pakistan, we did very good with Israel.”
He mentioned the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and against claimed that “None of these things would have happened if I were president.”
Then Trump also criticized former President Joe Biden’s Iran policies, claiming that Iran “was broke” and “Biden immediately let them get rich—$300 billion they have right now,” which allegedly enabled Tehran to support Hamas and Hezbollah.
Then Trump said oil prices helped sustain Russia’s war:
“Oil went so high, got close to $100 a barrel… that kept the war going with Putin because at $100 a barrel, that was a big money-making experience.”
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