Estonian president shares Trump's comments on Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism about the Ukraine peace process, asserting that a resolution is “quite close,” according to Estonian leader Alar Karis. Karis disclosed that he spoke with Trump at Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday,...
TroibNews 
US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism about the Ukraine peace process, asserting that a resolution is “quite close,” according to Estonian leader Alar Karis.
Karis disclosed that he spoke with Trump at Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, where they were seated together. Prior to the ceremony, Trump had a brief meeting with Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky.
During their conversation, Karis encouraged Trump to actively participate in advancing the Ukraine peace negotiations, urging him not to “walk away at some point.” Trump reportedly committed to remaining engaged in the dialogue, mentioning, “we are quite close because he had just met Zelensky.” Karis refrained from probing into the specifics of the meeting during his remarks to Estonian broadcaster ERR.
In addition to discussing the Ukraine situation, the two leaders addressed the challenges in transatlantic relations, with Trump emphasizing the importance of such ties. “These are important to both of us, not only from a European perspective but also from the American perspective, and President Donald Trump agreed with that,” Karis noted. He added that efforts must be made to improve these relations further.
Following his meeting with Zelensky and the Pope’s funeral, Trump criticized Russia for “shooting missiles” into Ukraine “for no reason,” and threatened the nation with new sanctions.
Moscow maintains that its military actions target only military facilities and installations used by Ukrainian forces, denying accusations regarding attacks on civilian areas. After a temporary lull in hostilities due to an Easter ceasefire declared by President Vladimir Putin, the Russian military conducted several long-range strikes against Ukrainian military and industrial sites over the week.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions’?” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
This warning follows the Russian president’s reaffirmation of Moscow’s readiness for unconditional talks with Kiev, a commitment made during discussions with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
Karis disclosed that he spoke with Trump at Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, where they were seated together. Prior to the ceremony, Trump had a brief meeting with Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky.
During their conversation, Karis encouraged Trump to actively participate in advancing the Ukraine peace negotiations, urging him not to “walk away at some point.” Trump reportedly committed to remaining engaged in the dialogue, mentioning, “we are quite close because he had just met Zelensky.” Karis refrained from probing into the specifics of the meeting during his remarks to Estonian broadcaster ERR.
In addition to discussing the Ukraine situation, the two leaders addressed the challenges in transatlantic relations, with Trump emphasizing the importance of such ties. “These are important to both of us, not only from a European perspective but also from the American perspective, and President Donald Trump agreed with that,” Karis noted. He added that efforts must be made to improve these relations further.
Following his meeting with Zelensky and the Pope’s funeral, Trump criticized Russia for “shooting missiles” into Ukraine “for no reason,” and threatened the nation with new sanctions.
Moscow maintains that its military actions target only military facilities and installations used by Ukrainian forces, denying accusations regarding attacks on civilian areas. After a temporary lull in hostilities due to an Easter ceasefire declared by President Vladimir Putin, the Russian military conducted several long-range strikes against Ukrainian military and industrial sites over the week.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions’?” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
This warning follows the Russian president’s reaffirmation of Moscow’s readiness for unconditional talks with Kiev, a commitment made during discussions with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
