US would 'help secure the peace' in Ukraine, Trump says
The United States would help secure peace after Russia's war in Ukraine ends, U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sept. 18 on Fox News.
"When I said 'help by air,' I'm talking about security after the war is settled. So after the war is settled, we would help secure the peace. And I think ultimately that'll happen," Trump said during Fox News' The Story with Martha MacCallum program, clarifying earlier remarks in which he suggested the U.S. might assist Ukraine "by air."
Trump previously said on Aug. 18 that Washington was willing to provide Ukraine with security assistance, "especially, probably, by air," as part of a possible peace deal with Russia.
The U.S. president expressed his frustration in settling the war in Ukraine, as well as his disappointment in Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also characterized the relationship between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin as "horrible."
"The one I thought was going to be easiest (to settle) was going to be Russia-Ukraine, because of my relationship with President Putin. So I'm disappointed," Trump said.
Trump went on to criticize European reliance on Russian oil, arguing that it undermines efforts to end the war. "I was unhappy with the European Union, or, let's say NATO, when I saw that they were buying oil from Russia," he said.
"Ultimately, if oil prices go down, or if Russia is not selling oil, they have no choice but to settle. And when the European Union nations or the NATO nations... are buying oil from Russia, that's not the greatest thing. That's not the deal," Trump said.
Trump also suggested that if the European Union targeted China — the largest purchaser of Russian oil — with sanctions or tariffs, "the war would maybe end."
"If Europe did something with respect to China, I think China would probably, maybe force an end to the war," Trump added.
The EU recently responded to Trump's pressure by proposing to phase out Russian energy purchases sooner than initially planned.
