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US President Donald Trump said Russian leader Vladimir Putin is under pressure and that efforts to end the war in Ukraine are progressing faster than many people realize.
According to Trump, despite continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities, Moscow is looking for a way to end the fighting, while negotiations between the sides remain ongoing.
“I think Putin is feeling the pressure. He wants to end this, Ukraine wants it too, and we’re in talks. We’ll see if we can get it done. It’s a terrible situation,” Trump said.
He added that he had expected resolving the conflict to be relatively straightforward because he knows both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin well. Trump claimed both leaders want the war to end as soon as possible and said the issue would also be discussed with NATO.
“I believe this is much closer to being resolved than people think. President Putin wants it to end, and President Zelenskyy wants it to end now. We’re going to meet with NATO and discuss it,” he said.
Trump also described his latest phone conversation as “very successful,” saying it brought the sides closer to a final agreement.
His comments came after Russia launched one of its largest combined aerial attacks on Ukraine overnight on July 6. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia fired 68 missiles and 351 attack drones, with Kyiv as the primary target.
Ukrainian officials said no ballistic missiles were intercepted during the attack due to a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles.
