Trump says Russia is 'behaving normally' toward Ukraine
US President Donald Trump said that Russia is behaving "quite normally" in the context of the war against Ukraine. At the same time, the American leader again criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of unwillingness to end the war.
Trump said this on October 19 while speaking with journalists in Washington.
"Russia, frankly speaking, behaved normally regarding Ukraine. They didn't do anything special," — said the US President.
Trump also compared Washington's relations with Moscow and Kyiv, stating that the United States has provided significant aid to Ukraine but received nothing in return.
Separately, the American president spoke about the prospects for peace negotiations. In his opinion, Zelenskyy is not sufficiently facilitating the achievement of an agreement to end the war.
Trump again suggested that the Ukrainian president is not interested in ending hostilities. He also stated that negotiations on behalf of Ukraine might need to be conducted by another person.
At the same time, the American leader emphasized that he wants to stop the loss of life as a result of the war.
US eases pressure on Russia
The statement came amid the Trump administration's decision to suspend the implementation of some of the new sanctions against Russia.
On October 18, the American president explained this step by the desire to preserve the possibility of negotiations with Moscow. According to him, the introduction of additional restrictions could have pushed Russia to withdraw from the negotiation process.
Trump claims that significant progress has already been achieved in diplomatic contacts. However, he did not present specific terms of a possible peace agreement.
At the same time, the Russian army continues to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure facilities. In particular, on October 19, as a result of an attack on Nova Vodolaha in the Kharkiv region, civilians were killed, including children.
Ukrainian authorities continue to insist on strengthening sanctions pressure on Moscow and providing additional air defense assets.
Based on materials from: Donald Trump's speech, "Delovaya Stolitsa".
