Washington — Trump Says Putin 'Wants Deal' More Than Zelensky

President Trump said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants to make a deal more than" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, deflecting blame from Putin after Zelensky accused the Russian leader of violating a days-old energy cease-fire, according to the New York Post.

Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Ohio, Trump said "there have been violations on both sides" of the truce, which he said he brokered over the weekend, the Post reported.

What did Trump say about the cease-fire?

"All I know is that Zelensky and Putin have to get together and end that ridiculous war. This month they lost 32,000 people in that war, and it's ridiculous. So they have to get together and get it done," Trump told reporters, according to the Post. He said the parties agreed to the limited energy truce "because I said you agreed," insisting the arrangement "has to get settled."

What does Zelensky say happened?

Zelensky accused Putin of putting the cease-fire at risk by striking Ukrainian natural gas infrastructure, the Post reported. Trump did not take Zelensky's side in the dispute, saying instead that both governments bore responsibility for breaches of the agreement.

Why is Trump pressing Zelensky now?

Trump has sharpened his criticism of Zelensky in recent days. He said "it's time for Ukraine to get a new president" after Zelensky criticized a deal Trump announced Friday to export Russian diesel to the United States, according to the Post. Zelensky had previously defied Trump's demands that Ukraine halt strikes on Russian oil refineries as the global price of diesel climbed amid the war and the separate U.S.-Iran conflict.

How does this fit the broader Ukraine-Russia standoff?

Trump's comments came as NATO's military leadership continues to stress readiness along the alliance's eastern flank. A NATO commander said this week the alliance is "ready to fight tonight" but "doesn't want war," underscoring how closely Western officials are watching the Kremlin's next moves even as Washington pushes for a negotiated end to the fighting, according to HTT News.

By the numbers

• 32,000 — people Trump said were killed in the war this month alone, according to the Post.
• Diesel prices have "nearly doubled" globally since the war and the separate U.S.-Iran conflict disrupted supply, the Post reported — a factor Trump has cited in pressing Zelensky to stop striking Russian refineries.

What to watch

• Whether Putin and Zelensky hold the direct talks Trump says both leaders need.
• Additional reports of cease-fire violations from either Kyiv or Moscow.
• Trump's next public comments on Zelensky's political future.
• Fallout from the Russian diesel export deal Trump announced Friday.

"I think they want to make a deal, but they don't know how. But we're going to get them to make a deal," Trump said Monday, according to the Post. "[Putin] wants to make a deal, and we have to get Zelensky to want to make a deal ... I think actually Putin wants to make a deal more than" Zelensky.