Trump’s latest comments on the war – from Ukraine ‘may not survive’ to talks optimism
Donald Trump continues to be the key player in Ukraine peace talks.
Over the weekend, he spoke out a couple of times on the war and efforts to bring fighting to an end.
In an interview with Fox News, he suggested that Ukraine “may not survive” the war with Russia, even if American support continued.
But more optimistically, he said he had “just about” ended the suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, adding he expected good results from this week’s coming peace talks.
Optimism over aid suspension and peace talks
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked if he would consider ending the suspension and said: “We just about have. We just about have.”
US intelligence has been crucial for Ukraine in its efforts fighting off Russia’s invasion, and the suspension has hit Kyiv both offensively and defensively.
CIA director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that the US had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, piling further pressure on the country.
So any end to the freeze will be welcomed in the Ukrainian capital.
Trump also expressed optimism about the talks this week.
“Let’s see what happens with the whole Russia-Ukraine thing. I think eventually and maybe not in the distant future, you’re going to have some pretty good results coming out of Saudi Arabia this week,” he said.
“We’re going to
make a lot of progress, I believe, this week,” Trump added.
Watch Trump’s full comments aboard Air Force One
Ukraine ‘may not survive’
However, in an interview with Fox News, Trump warned that Ukraine “may not survive” the war with Russia even if US support continued.
He had been asked about a warning from Polish President Andrzej Duda “that without American support, Ukraine will not survive”.
Asked if he was “comfortable” with that outcome, the US president said: “Well, it may not survive anyway.
“But we have some weaknesses with Russia. You know, it takes two,” Trump added.