President Donald Trump said Friday that he finds negotiating with Russia easier than dealing with Ukraine in efforts to end the war, adding that he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I believe him," Trump said during a televised news conference at the White House.
"I'm finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine, and they don't have the cards," he said. "It may be easier dealing with Russia."
Trump has placed intense pressure on Ukraine, which has been fighting off Russia’s invasion for three years, and has ordered a pause in U.S. military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv to push for a settlement.
Despite threatening new sanctions on Russia earlier Friday, Trump said he understood why Putin’s forces had launched a massive bombing campaign across Ukraine overnight.
"I actually think he's doing what anybody in that position would be doing right now," Trump said.
"I've always had a good relationship with Putin. And you know, he wants to end the war," he added. "I think he's going to be more generous than he has to be, and that's pretty good. That means a lot of good things."
Trump also warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been pressing for Western security guarantees before agreeing to a cease-fire with Russia, risks losing all U.S. support.
"I don't know that they want to settle. If they don't want to settle, we're out of there because we want them to settle. I'm doing it to stop death," he said.
