US President Donald Trump has said he finds it easier to deal with Russia than Ukraine as he seeks to broker a ceasefire between the two countries. The president previously engaged in a heated exchange with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office.
During a chat with the press on Friday, a reporter mentioned recent Russian strikes in Ukraine and asked Trump, “Do you still believe [President Vladimir Putin] when he tells you that he wants peace?”
“I believe him. I think we’re going very well with Russia,” he replied.
“I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine. And they don’t have the cards,” Trump added. “In terms of getting a final settlement, it may be easier dealing with Russia, which is surprising because they have all the cards.”
Trump earlier wrote on his Truth Social platform that he is “strongly considering” slapping additional sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and “final settlement agreement on peace” is reached.
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late,” he said.
Earlier this week, Trump paused all weapons deliveries and restricted intelligence sharing with Kiev. The move followed a public spat between Trump and Vladimir Zelensky in the White House, which highlighted persistent disagreements over ceasefire terms and security guarantees.
Trump has so far rejected Zelensky’s calls to provide specific guarantees to Ukraine and ruled out NATO membership for the country. He also refused to commit American troops to a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
After a highly contentious meeting on February 28, Trump accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” and sabotaging his efforts to end the conflict. On Tuesday, the president said Zelensky had written him a letter expressing his readiness “to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.”
American and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet in Saudi Arabia early next week. Last month, the US held bilateral talks with Russia in Riyadh and Istanbul, which were the first high-level bilateral meetings since the Biden administration froze relations with Moscow in 2022 as part of its campaign of diplomatic isolation.
On Tuesday, Zelensky proposed a partial truce and a prisoner swap as a first phase of negotiations. A similar proposal was later put forward by France.
Russia has long insisted that Ukraine and the West must address the root causes of the conflict, including NATO’s expansion eastward and Ukraine’s aspirations to join the US-led military bloc. Moscow also demands that Kiev renounce its claims on Crimea and four other regions that voted to become part of Russia.
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