The US President says he is optimistic about a Russia–Ukraine peace deal, but leaves open the possibility of withdrawing from negotiations if they “continue to be foolish and fight.”

In a revealing interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States is closer to one of the two sides in the Ukraine-Russia war, without revealing which one, but making clear that the U.S. is actively engaged in mediation efforts. As he said, “there are times when I come close to pulling out, and then something positive happens.”

Trump confirmed a new rare metals deal with Ukraine, stressing that it was a “good deal for the American people”, while attacking Joe Biden, accusing him of “throwing away” $350 billion without knowing where it went. “Europe is paying a third of what we are paying. Yet the war is more important to them,” he said.

“Russia should abandon all of Ukraine”

Asked whether he thinks Russia will retain the territory it has already occupied, Trump replied emphatically, “Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine. Because that’s what it wants – the whole Ukraine. It doesn’t just want the strip it has now.”

Trump presented himself as the only world leader who can put real pressure on Putin. “European leaders are begging me to call him, because he doesn’t even answer them,” he said, adding that “if it wasn’t for me, Putin would have taken over all of Ukraine.”

Although he suggested that he may have been the victim of “tactical delay” by Putin, he denied that he had misunderstood him: “I will tell you in two weeks or a month.”

Biden “never called Putin”

President Trump again accused Biden of failing to adequately manage the Ukrainian crisis, saying that “in three years he never called him once” and reiterated that “if I were president, this war would never have started.”

He even referred to satellite images of thousands of dead soldiers “per week” and said: “If I can save 5,000 lives a week, that’s what I want to do. Russians or Ukrainians, I want to save them.”

Open to sanctions and withdrawal from talks

On whether he would support a sanctions proposal against Russia, such as the one being promoted by Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump replied, “It depends if Russia acts like they want peace.” He also did not rule out the possibility of withdrawing the US from the talks if there is no progress, noting: “There will come a time when I will say ‘OK, keep being stupid and keep fighting.”

Asked whether military and intelligence support to Ukraine would stop in the event of a withdrawal, he declined to answer, saying simply: “It’s too early to enter into that conversation.”