An “abnormal hatred” between Russia and Ukraine’s leaders remains a barrier to ending the war, but a peace deal is getting closer, President Donald Trump said as he prepares to resume his peacemaker role.
“There’s tremendous hatred between President Zelenskyy and President Putin. That’s not good. That’s not good for settlements,” Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
“There’s abnormal hatred. With that being said, I think Russia wants to make a deal. I think Ukraine wants to make a deal, and we’re going to try getting a deal done,” he said, adding: “If they don’t, they’re stupid.”
Trump is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos on Thursday, while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow later in the day.
Trump said both sides were “reasonably close” to a deal, while Witkoff told CNBC Wednesday that “land deals” over Ukraine were a last sticking point to ending the almost four-year long war.
