US President Donald Trump has arrived in Rome to attend Pope Francis's funeral. After landing in Italy's capital, he posted on his social media platform 'Truth Social' about the Ukraine-Russia war, claiming that both nations are extremely close to sealing a deal to end the conflict. Trump stated that significant points of the potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine have already been agreed upon.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, 'I've just arrived in Rome. We've had a productive day of talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine. They are very close to reaching an agreement, and now a high-level meeting should take place to conclude this matter. Most of the key issues have been resolved. Stop the bloodshed now. We will be present wherever necessary to help end this brutal and pointless war.'
Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy for the Middle East, traveled to Moscow on Friday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, in an interview with Time Magazine, Trump mentioned that Crimea would remain with Russia, indicating a tactic to pressure Ukraine into making concessions for ending the war.
Although Trump criticized Putin this week, his primary focus has been on encouraging Zelenskyy to reach an agreement where Ukraine cedes territories claimed and currently controlled by Moscow. In a Time magazine interview, Trump characterized Crimea as a place where Russia stations its submarines, and the prevalent language is Russian. Trump remarked, 'Crimea will stay with Russia, and Zelenskyy understands this, and everyone knows it's been with them (Russia) long before my time.'
Trump also urged via social media that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should immediately sign the long-pending 'Rare Earth Minerals Deal', which would grant the US access to Ukraine's mineral resources. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, 'Ukraine, led by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final paperwork on a very important Rare Earth Minerals Deal with the US. It has been delayed by at least three weeks. Hopefully, it will be signed soon. Progress on the overall peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is smooth, and success seems imminent!'
Zelenskyy refused to comment on Trump's statements but reiterated that recognizing occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian is a red line for his country. Meanwhile, Russia has continued its bombardment of Ukraine. Officials reported that a drone attack on an apartment building in a southeastern Ukrainian city resulted in three deaths and 10 injuries on Friday. This incident occurred a day after US President Donald Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for a major missile and drone assault on Ukraine, which killed 12 people and injured 87.
