The 78-year-old alluded towards efforts to reach peace between Russia and Ukraine, highlighting the importance of the situation not just to America, but the entire world.
Earlier this week, the US leader suggested the two European nations agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine accepted, but Russian President Vladimir Putin swiftly rejected.
He later followed up and said that he ‘absolutely supports’ the idea, though certain criteria would need to be met.
Yesterday (14 March), the president became the first leader since Obama to speak to the Justice Department, and he took the opportunity to highlight the risks of World War III, warning it would be ‘a war like no other’.
He claimed the nation is ‘in pretty good shape’ to reach a peace deal with Russia, and stated that its leader has ‘respect’ for the US.
Trump stated: “I think we’re doing well with Russia, we’re speaking with President Putin, we want to get the war over.”
The president further claimed that the US ‘sent nearly $350 billion to Europe’ in military aid, adding: “We’ve had some very good calls today with Russia, and with Ukraine, they’ve agreed to a ceasefire if we can get it with Russia. And it’s not easy. It’s a tough one.”
Trump seemed confident that a peace deal would be struck with Putin (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
“I think we have it, I think we have it, but this could lead to World War III, very easily, could very easily lead to World War III. But I think we’re in pretty good shape, a lot better than where we were before we got involved,” Trump said.
“That was heading into World War III territory, that would’ve been a war like no other because of nuclear weapons, and other types of weapons that you don’t even wanna know about.”
Trump also claimed that ‘there would have been no war had I been president. It just 100 percent would not have happened.’
US envoy Steve Witkoff has presented plans of a ceasefire to Putin in a meeting on Thursday, with a phone call between the two leaders set to take place in the coming days.
G7 allies, including the UK, stated on Friday that they were calling for a ceasefire with ‘no conditions’ to end the battle in Ukraine.
Putin has previously said in a televised statement: “We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call.
“If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment.”
Putin has a number of requirements that need to be met for a peace deal (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The former-KGB operative went on: “In order to effectively implement the US president’s call, (there needs to be) a corresponding order from Ukraine’s military-political leadership to its military to lay down their arms and surrender.”
Trump had announced in a social media post about Ukrainian soldiers that were ‘completely surroundeded’ in Kursk.
