President Donald Trump said he was “being a little bit sarcastic” when he said he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours, or before he even took office, on the campaign trail.
In a clip released ahead of Sunday’s episode of Sinclair’s Full Measure, Trump said, “Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic,” when asked about his promise to swiftly end the conflict in Ukraine.
“What I really mean is I’d like to get it settled, and, I’ll, I think, I think I’ll be successful,” he added.
The U.S. has been working with Ukraine and Russia on ending the three-year war. Washington, D.C., and Kyiv reached an agreement on the terms of a 30-day ceasefire earlier this week, which includes terms for prisoner exchanges and release of civilian detainees, among other requests.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes there are issues that need to be addressed before he can agree to a ceasefire. Those concerns include whether Ukraine can stock up on new weapons during the ceasefire and who would monitor the pause in fighting.
U.S. officials were in Moscow this week to discuss the proposed ceasefire deal.
PUTIN OUTLINES SEVERAL PROBLEMS HE HAS WITH POSSIBLE CEASEFIRE
Trump was asked in the interview what the plan would be if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire.
“Bad news for this world because so many people are dying,” Trump said. “But I think, I think he’s going to agree. I really do. I think I know him pretty well, and I think he’s going to agree.”
