March 26 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump said he thinks Russia could be purposely frustrating his efforts to broker a peace agreement ending the fighting in Ukraine, saying he recognized stalling when he saw it.
“It could be they’re dragging their feet,” Trump told Newsmax in an interview at the White House on Tuesday evening, the first time he has openly criticized Russia in the six weeks since embarking on his effort to deliver a peaceful resolution to the three-year-long war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’ll let you know at a certain point. But I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet,” he said.
“I’ve done it over the years, you know; I don’t want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game, but maybe I don’t want to do it, quite … I’m not sure. But no, I think Russia would like to see it end, and I think [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky would like to see it end at this point.”
Trump said he wanted an end to the killing on the battlefield, which he said was costing the lives of an average of 2,500 soldiers from both sides each week, stressing the revulsion he felt at the carnage and blaming drones for an escalation in the deadliness of the instruments of war being used.
“I see the pictures of the battlefields; I’d rather not even see them. We have arms and legs and heads all over the field. The weaponry is ridiculous. It’s a big drone deal now. … And I just want to see it stop,” said Trump.
His comments came after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia, at which U.S. officials held separate negotiations with both the Russians and Ukrainians, fell short of a cease-fire producing instead an agreement to reactivate a so-called Black Sea Initiative and an understanding that Russia and the United States would continue working toward achieving “a durable and lasting peace.”
The agreement would demilitarize the sea-safe sea lanes for vessels carrying Russian fertilizer and grain exports and U.S. assistance to regain access to world markets together with Russia and the United States will continue working toward achieving a durable and lasting peace.
The parties also formally signed onto a 30-day ban on attacking each others’ energy infrastructure, first floated in a March 18 call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Zelensky agreed to the following day when Trump called to brief him.
However, Russia backtracked on the Black Sea agreement after the talks ended with the Kremlin issuing a news release saying it would be implemented only in tandem with sanctions relief.
The Kremlin published a list Wednesday of Russian and Ukrainian installations covered by the temporary energy cease-fire agreed between Moscow and Washington which it said was effective for 30 days, backdated to March 18, and would be terminated if violated by either side.
Included are refineries, oil and gas pipelines and oil storage facilities including pump stations, and power generating and transmitting infrastructure — specifically power plants, substations, transformers, distribution switchgear, nuclear power plants and hydropower dams.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had issued orders to the military to implement the cease-fire and it was now in force.
“This is good progress, owing to meaningful relations evolved during communications with the American side,” he said.
“We should continue moving further along this path.”
