Translated with AI
US President Donald Trump stated that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war are "very high" on his list of priorities. The American leader made this statement on Tuesday, March 3, during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.
Trump said he initially considered resolving the conflict a simpler task. However, as the US president noted, there is strong mutual animosity between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"I thought it was a simple issue. There's tremendous hatred between Presidents Putin and Zelensky. Sometimes I blame one side, sometimes the other. I believe something will happen. This is the worst war since World War II," Trump said.
The American leader also noted that ending the war requires the consent of both sides. "It takes two to tango," he said.
According to the US President, approximately 32,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have died in Ukraine over the past four weeks. Trump called the war in Ukraine "stupid" and emphasized the need to end it.
Answering reporters' questions about the war with Iran, Trump claimed that the United States has "very large" and "virtually limitless" arms reserves. He added that his predecessor, Joe Biden, "foolishly" transferred a large quantity of American weapons to Ukraine for free.
Trump also recalled that European countries are currently purchasing American weapons for the Ukrainian army.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is visiting the United States on March 3 and 4. Earlier, in late February, he stated that tariffs would be one of the topics of his talks with the US President.
Merz said that following the US Supreme Court's ruling that some of Trump's tariffs were illegal, negotiations with Washington are necessary to ensure that German companies can recover billions.
"We will develop a very clear European position on this issue, because tariff policy is a matter for the European Union, not individual member states. I will go to Washington with a coordinated European position," the German Chancellor said.
On March 1, Merz also supported the war in Iran launched the previous day by the United States and Israel. Responding to a question about the legality of the strikes on the country under international law, the chancellor noted that Germany sees a "dilemma" in the fact that over the past decades, no steps within the framework of international law have succeeded in achieving results against the leadership of Tehran.
According to the German Chancellor, in the current situation, “it is not the time to teach our partners and allies.”
