President Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine more than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does, telling reporters at the White House that both sides are looking for a deal but lack the path to get there.
"I think, actually, Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelensky," the president said.
The comment came as Trump fielded a series of questions about the state of the conflict and his push to bring the two leaders to the table. Asked about the willingness of the Russian side to negotiate, Trump had earlier said: "I think they both support [the energy ceasefire]. I think they want to make a deal, but they don't know how — but we're going to get them to make a deal... They have to make a deal."
32,000 Killed In A Month
Trump repeatedly returned to the human cost of the war, citing a figure of 32,000 dead in a single month.
"All I know is that Zelensky and Putin have to get together and end that ridiculous war," he said. "This month they lost 32,000 people of that war and it's ridiculous. So they have to get together and get it done."
He described the losses as "mostly soldiers" and "young people" — "32,000 killed."
"That war has to be over," he said. "That war is a disaster."
'They Agreed Because I Said They Agreed'
Pressed on his statement that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire — a claim both sides have disputed — Trump did not back away.
"They agreed. You know why? Because I said, 'You agree' — that's why," he said. "They agreed because I said they agreed, and that thing has to get settled."
On a report that Russia had violated the ceasefire overnight, Trump said he would need to examine the specifics, noting that violations have come from both directions.
"I'd have to look at it and see — because there have been violations on both sides," he said.
'We're Going To Get Them To Make A Deal'
The president framed the negotiation as a work in progress, saying his administration would keep pushing until an agreement is reached.
"We're going to get them to make a deal," he said. "We have to... They have to make a deal."
Asked whether there had been any communication from the Russian side, Trump said only: "We haven't heard anything from [Putin], sir, but we're going to see what happens. We [will] get it done."
The remarks at the White House represent the president's most direct assessment yet of the two leaders' relative appetite for ending the war, which has now run for more than four years.
