Trump: It’s “Not the Right Time” to Call for Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that it is not the right moment for him to push for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, despite growing questions about the ongoing conflict.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, a reporter asked Trump if he believed the time had come to press for a ceasefire, noting that a month had passed since his rare meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Trump replied. “But at the right time, if I have to do it, it will be harsh”.

Trump acknowledged that negotiations to end the war were proving more difficult than he had expected.

During a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London earlier this week, the US president admitted that Putin had “really let me down.”

The American leader, who has at times criticized both Moscow and Kyiv, also warned of new punitive measures. Last week, he said he would impose additional “major sanctions” on Russia, but only if NATO members collectively agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump distanced himself from the war, declaring: “This is not TRUMP’S WAR (it would never have started if I was president!), it is Biden’s and Zelenskyy’s WAR”.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that Trump’s stance has shifted. In a television interview aired in Russia on Thursday, Lavrov said the US president had moved “from issuing an ultimatum for an unconditional ceasefire to advocating for a long-term, sustainable solution”.

For Moscow, the conditions for peace remain unchanged: Ukraine must recognize Russia’s new borders, abandon its bid to join NATO in favor of permanent neutrality, and accept limits on its military. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has flatly rejected these terms.