Daijiworld Media Network- Washington

Washington, Aug 20: US President Donald Trump has said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin may be growing weary of the prolonged war in Ukraine but admitted it is possible the Russian leader does not want to strike a peace deal.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, to be honest with you. I think Putin is tired of it. I think they’re all tired of it, but you never know,” Trump told Fox News in an interview on Tuesday.

The remarks came a day after Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders at the White House to discuss peace efforts. The meeting followed his summit with Putin in Alaska last week.

Trump revealed he had called Putin to arrange a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, which would later be followed by a trilateral discussion including himself. “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks. It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal,” Trump said, adding that Putin would face a “rough situation” if he chose otherwise.

Speaking on US commitments, Trump ruled out deploying American troops on Ukrainian soil but said Washington could provide other forms of assistance. “There’ll be some form of security. It can’t be NATO. They’re (Europe) willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, by air,” he explained.

Trump also underlined his own rapport with Putin, while stressing that both leaders—Putin and Zelenskiy—would need to show flexibility for peace to move forward. “I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he’s not, it’s going to be a rough situation. And I hope President Zelenskiy will do what he has to do,” he said.