Trump Admits Embarrassing Truth About Putin as Peace Efforts Fail

Donald Trump confessed to being uncertain about the outcome of peace discussions with Russias Vladimir Putin after another round of talks failed. I dont know what the Kremlin is doing, the 79-year-old former president told reporters in the Oval Office, following a meeting in Moscow between his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, which Trump described as reasonably good. The goal was to negotiate an end to Russias war in Ukraine.

After the five-hour Kremlin session, U.S. representatives reported that Putin seemed inclined to end the conflict, a message they relayed to Trump on Tuesday evening.

Despite their reports, Trump admitted on Wednesday that he remained unsure about the situation. I can tell you they had a reasonably good meeting with President Putin. Were going to find out. Its a war that should have never been started, he said.

Putin, for his part, described the discussions as challenging. Speaking to India Today TV before a trip to New Delhi, he called the talks necessary and useful but acknowledged they were difficult work.

Trump added in the Oval Office, What comes out of that meeting? I cant tell you, because it does take two to tango. He would like to end the war, that was their impression. Their impression was that he wants the conflict to end.

Trump also suggested that Putin is eager to reopen economic ties with the U.S. I think hed like to return to a more normal life. Hed like to trade with the United States instead of losing thousands of soldiers weekly. Their impression was strongly that he wants a deal, Trump said.

Moscow has indicated that some elements of the U.S. peace plandrawn up without Ukraineare more negotiable than others, but territorial disputes remain unresolved. U.S. officials confirmed that talks will resume in Miami on Thursday, with Ukraines National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov attending. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky canceled earlier scheduled discussions in Brussels with Trumps envoys.

Trump has spent the past two weeks promoting his 28-point peace proposal, presenting it as a reason he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Putin noted, They divided these 28, or 27, points into four packages, proposing discussion of the same provisions.

Russian officials, including aide Yuri Ushakov, appeared unimpressed, citing multiple revisions and versions of the proposal. Kyiv has also reportedly rejected a revised 19-point agreement. Putin criticized U.S. tactics, labeling them as shuttle diplomacy, meeting with Europeans first, then Russia, and then Ukrainians and Europeans again.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continued. A ballistic missile struck Kryvyi Rih overnight, injuring six, including a three-year-old girl, and damaging homes, a school, and gas lines. In Kherson, a six-year-old girl died from injuries sustained in shelling the previous day.

Author: Riley Thompson