Trump's ultimatum: Russia must relinquish all of Ukraine
Donald Trump stated that Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine because Russia wants all of Ukraine. "Russia doesn’t want the strip that they have now; Russia wants all of Ukraine. And if it weren’t me, they would keep going," Trump said.
What do you need to know?
- Donald Trump stated that Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine because it aims for full control.
- Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia expects Crimea and other controlled areas to be recognized as Russian.
- Donald Trump in a conversation with NBC News suggested that he might withdraw from peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia if the situation does not improve.
Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia's position regarding the "settlement" of the conflict in Ukraine has not changed. As the Russian Foreign Minister declared, "the imperative is the recognition" by the international community that Crimea and other areas of Ukraine controlled by Russia will be recognized as Russian. Donald Trump himself has repeatedly stated that Crimea should remain Russian.
During the "Meet the Press" program on NBC News, Donald Trump was asked what Russia would have to give up because there were discussions that Ukraine would have to give up part of the land.
"Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine. Because what Russia wants is all of Ukraine. And if I didn’t get involved, they would be fighting right now for all of Ukraine. Russia doesn’t want the strip that they have now; Russia wants all of Ukraine. And if it weren’t me, they would keep going," he replied.
"Do you know that the European Union leaders have asked me to call Putin so many times? Because he doesn’t return their phone call," he added.
Is Trump's patience running out?
During the program, the journalist also raised the topic of peace negotiations, asking whether any progress had been made toward reaching a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
"I do believe we’re closer [to an agreement] with one party, and maybe not as close with the other. I’d like to not say which one we’re closer to," Trump replied.
The journalist pressed further, asking how much time he was willing to give both countries before stepping away from efforts to broker peace. Trump responded that a moment would eventually come when he would say, "okay, move on, be foolish." When asked whether that point was near, he replied that although the situation occasionally reaches that threshold, encouraging developments tend to emerge just in time.
