Donald Trump has said Russia has “all the cards” in negotiations to end the war with Ukraine.
Speaking at the White House, the US president reiterated his desire to get a deal done to end the conflict, which he warned “could lead to World War Three”.
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But he said he had found it “more difficult” to deal with Ukraine, and suggested it may be easier to deal with Moscow, because “they have all the cards”.
He was also asked if Vladimir Putin was taking advantage of the decision by the US to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine, following a series of air attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent days.
“I think he’s doing what anyone else would do,” he replied.
However, he said he believed Mr Putin wanted to get the war “stopped and settled”.
“I think both parties want to settle. I think we are going to get it settled,” he added.
Mr Trump also suggested his priorities are in a different order to Ukraine’s – saying he wants the fighting to end before any security guarantees are made.
“Before I even think about that, I want to settle the war, get it finished,” he said.
“As far as the question about security later, that’s the easy part. The hard part is getting it settled.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said his country needs “reliable and clear” security guarantees before a peace deal with Russia can be agreed.
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