Trump: It's Time to Restore Peace in Ukraine

US President Trump held a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House.

Trump said he and Macron had a very good meeting and agreed that Europe would make a much greater contribution to the cost of achieving peace in Ukraine and ensuring the long-term security of that country.

"It's time to restore peace in Ukraine, and I think we will do it," Trump said, adding that he had held meetings with both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and that the process was progressing very positively.

Noting that Moscow was also willing to make a deal, Trump said, "It would be in Russia's best interest to make a deal, and I feel we will do that. The damage is done. This was a war that should never have been started."

Mining deal with Ukraine imminent

"That's why we need to make a precious metals agreement with Ukraine. I think we've made a lot of progress on that," Trump said, emphasizing that this agreement is beneficial for both the United States and Ukraine.

Trump said that Saudi Arabia's hosting of the Russia-Ukraine talks was very important and said of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, "He is a wonderful young man, young but with a great imagination and someone who is highly respected all over the world."

Stating that there was no communication between Russia, Ukraine and the US before he took office, Trump said that the first thing he did when he took office was to meet with Putin and that as a result of the subsequent meetings, he saw that Russia also wanted peace.

"We're working on a deal right now. Whether it's a ceasefire or a direct deal, the goal is to stop the war. I would love to get a direct deal, but a ceasefire always happens a little bit quicker, so sometimes you save thousands of lives. So we want to see if we can do that very quickly," Trump said.

Stressing his desire to end the Russia-Ukraine War, Trump said, "I hope my greatest legacy will be as a peacemaker and a unifier, bringing peace, not war ."

Europe will also share the cost for peace in Ukraine

Trump, in a joint press conference with Macron, noted that they had spent more than $300 billion on Ukraine to date and that Europe should play a greater role in the process leading to peace, and said:

"I am pleased that President Macron agrees that the costs and burdens of achieving peace in Ukraine will be borne not only by the United States but also by the nations of Europe. I am also pleased that he recognizes that Europe must play a central role in ensuring Ukraine's long-term security."

US President Trump also noted that the US spent much more than Europe on the Ukraine war, saying, "We spent more than $300 billion on the Ukraine war, while Europe spent $ 100 billion. We deserve to get that back."

Noting that there was a big difference between what the US spent and what Europe spent, Trump said they had to equalize it at some point.

When asked whether the US would contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine, Trump replied, "I guess that's a little bit of an odd question because you're asking whether we would contribute to Ukraine on behalf of the United States. We have a contribution of about $350 billion, which I think is a pretty big contribution."