How did Trump evaluate Putin's statement on stopping the shelling?
US President Donald Trump described Vladimir Putin's statement on a 30-day ceasefire regarding the Russia-Ukraine war as "hopeful".
"Putin made a hopeful statement," Trump said at a press conference held with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. However, in the opinion of the US president, this statement was "incomplete".
Trump confirmed that he is ready to discuss the ceasefire proposal with Putin. According to him, the US president's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Whitecoff, is currently conducting "serious negotiations in Russia" and is scheduled to meet with Putin soon.
"I hope Russia will take the right path," Trump added.
At the press conference with Rutte, the US president revealed what Washington representatives discussed with the Ukrainian delegation regarding the ceasefire agreement. In particular, they discussed control over territories and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as well as Ukraine's NATO membership issue.
"We discussed territories [with Ukraine] because if there is no meaning in the peace, we do not want to waste time on it. So we are saying, 'Look, you can take this, but not that.' The issue of NATO and its membership was discussed. Everyone knows the answer; it has been known for 40 years. Many details of the final agreement have already been discussed. Now we will see if Russia is ready or not. If it is not ready, it will be a very disappointing situation for the whole world," Trump said.
The US had previously proposed a 30-day ceasefire during negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia. The Ukrainian side agreed to this.
Vladimir Putin, commenting on the idea of a ceasefire, stated that Russia agreed to the proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but only if it leads to a long-term peace. The ceasefire proposal must take into account several nuances, the president said. In particular, according to him, there is a risk that Kyiv could use the 30-day ceasefire regime to obtain weapons or mobilize forces.
