In an interview with Fox News journalist Sean Hannity, recorded in the room where he had just failed to convince Vladimir Putin to cease attacks on Ukraine, President Donald Trump, probably still thinking about the Nobel Peace Prize, boasted that he has a special talent for ending wars. An agreement to end the war in Ukraine now depends on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European countries should get involved in this regard, Trump emphasized.
- What Was Achieved in Alaska: Putin Defies Kiev and Europe, Proposes Next Meeting in Moscow (Video)
- Alaska Summit: The Story of a Day Full of Hopes, Marked by Putin’s Image, the Red Carpet, and the Limousine (Photo & Video)
- Trump-Putin in Alaska: The Red Carpet and American Soldiers Kneeling Stir Strong Reactions
"Wars are very bad, it seems that I have the ability to end them," Trump declared, as reported by The Guardian and Reuters.
The President responded to a comment by Sean Hannity, who praised Trump for his role in calming several global conflicts, mostly latent, in the last six months.
Neither of them mentioned, however, that Trump had promised during the electoral campaign to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if elected, notes The Guardian.
Asked by Sean Hannity what advice he would give to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Donald Trump replied that he would tell him to "reach an agreement" to end the war.
He made no reference to how Ukraine could reach an agreement with Russia under occupation and bombardment.
Trump stated that Zelensky and Putin will schedule a meeting to try to reach a ceasefire agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
"Now, it really depends on President Zelensky to make this happen. And I would say that European countries should also get involved a little. But it depends on President Zelensky... And if they want, I will participate in the next meeting," Trump told Sean Hannity of Fox News, after the meeting with Putin in Alaska.
Ukraine Must Agree
"We had a very good meeting today, but we'll see. I mean... an agreement must be reached. We agreed on many points. I want to see that people are no longer dying in Ukraine," Trump stated in the Fox News interview.
"From my point of view, there is no agreement until there is an agreement, but we have made a lot of progress," he reiterated what he had said in the press conference.
However, he specified: "We don't have an agreement at all... Ukraine must agree."
"There are still one or two quite important points that we need to agree on," Trump mentioned. "Now it really depends on President Zelensky to bring things to a successful conclusion," he insisted.
Trump started the Fox News interview by repeating the statement that "he has always had an excellent relationship with President Putin," but cooperation between the United States and Russia has been impossible due to the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 elections, which he calls "a hoax."
Objective Achieved
On his way to Alaska, Donald Trump had told Fox News presenter Brett Baier that his objective for the discussions with Vladimir Putin is to convince the Russian President to agree to a ceasefire.
"When it comes to agreements, it's what I've done my whole life - make deals. You never know, you don't like to have too many expectations," Trump told Baier in an interview recorded aboard Air Force One on the way to Alaska, which aired on Friday.
"But we'll go and find out. I'd like to see a ceasefire. I wouldn't be thrilled if I didn't get it, but everyone says, 'You won't get the ceasefire, it will happen at the second meeting.' But I won't be happy with that," Trump confessed.
"I won't be happy if I leave without some form of ceasefire," Trump admitted.
He then said that he had the opportunity to speak privately with Putin after the short 12-minute press conference. Putin "spoke very sincerely," Trump said about his desire to end the war in Ukraine. Trump was asked if he and Putin had a moment of discussion behind closed doors, and Trump replied: "Yes, we did. In fact, after our speeches. He gave a very good speech, and I concluded it. After that, we talked. Immediately after that, we had a very sincere discussion. I think he wants to see things resolved," Trump said.
A Perfect 10 Summit
Hannity asked him to rate the meeting with Putin on a scale from 1 to 10, and Trump replied that it was "a 10" because it demonstrated that the leaders of the two nuclear countries can cooperate. "It's good when two great powers understand each other," Trump said.
Hannity then insisted that Trump reveal what Putin told him about why he believes the war in Ukraine would not have started if Trump had been president. Trump hesitated but stated that he can say in his own words that the reason lies in Biden's blatant incompetence.
Trump also stated that he will not have to consider retaliatory tariffs for countries currently buying Russian oil, but he might have to do so "in two or three weeks."
"Well, given what happened today, I think we don't need to think about that. I might have to think about it in two or three weeks, but we don't need to think about it now. I think the meeting went very well," he assured, considering that China is the largest buyer of Russian oil.
Trump also repeated an untrue statement, debunked by The Guardian six months ago, that the US had provided Ukraine with $350 billion for defense, while Europe had only provided $100 billion.