We're putting a lot of pressure on Russia, and Russia knows it, says the President at a press conference at the White House after a meeting with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, according to AFP.
Trump also repeats that he believes it will be difficult for Ukraine to regain Crimea, which Russia has controlled since 2014, but that a solution may be near, according to NTB.
I think we're very close to the end of the war.
In response to a question about what concessions Russia has made in the negotiations, Trump says:
Stopping the war, not taking the whole country. Pretty big concessions.
"Vladimir, STOP!",
Earlier on Thursday, Trump commented on the latest bloody attack on Kyiv in a statement that was unusually critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Not necessary and very bad timing", he wrote on his own platform Truth Social.
"Vladimir, STOP!", Trump continued, adding that 5,000 soldiers are dying every week and that it's high time for a peace agreement.
During the election campaign, Trump promised that he could bring a quick end to the Ukraine war. After taking office, his envoy has held talks with both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.
But the peace proposal that the US is now said to have put forward has been criticized for being very favorable to the aggressor Russia. This is because Ukraine is expected to give up most of the territory currently under Russian occupation.
Macron: Stop lying
French President Emmanuel Macron, in turn, urges Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop lying" about wanting peace while the bloody attacks on Ukrainian cities continue.
The only thing for President Putin to do is to finally stop lying, says Macron during a visit to Madagascar, reports AFP.
Macron points out that Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire and if Putin did the same, "the guns would fall silent tomorrow".
The French President also criticizes the US for having a harder line against Ukraine than against Russia.
The US's anger should only be directed at one person, President Putin.
At least twelve people were killed and 90 injured in the large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv during the night to Thursday, according to Ukraine. It is described as one of the deadliest attacks on the capital since the Russian full-scale invasion began over three years ago.
