Trump says Putin “wants to stop war,” but won’t say if he trusts him

The American leader said this in an interview with ABC.

According to Trump, he believes that Putin "would like to stop the war," adding: "I think Putin wanted all of Ukraine. And because of me, I do believe that -- he's willing to stop the fighting."

However, when asked whether he trusts the Russian leader, Trump dodged the question.

"I don’t trust you. I don’t trust a lot of people," Trump said. "I don’t trust a lot of people, but I do think this — I think that he, let’s say he respects me, and I believe because of me, he’s not going to take over the whole — but his decision, his choice, would be to take over all of Ukraine," he added.

Trump also spoke about a meeting with Zelenskyy at the Vatican, describing it as a moment of solace, given the large number of people dying, and expressed his sympathy.

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on April 29 that the United States would withdraw from its role as a mediator in resolving the war in Ukraine if there is no progress in the negotiations.