'Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight,’ Trump says on Russia-Ukraine war
U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 5 that it might be best not to intervene in Russia’s war against Ukraine for now, speaking during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.
The U.S. president, who has repeatedly claimed he alone can resolve the war, appeared to walk back that promise amid stalled negotiations, rising casualties from Russian drone strikes, and no signs of compromise from either side.
“Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy,” he said. “They hate each other, and they’re fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don’t want to be pulled. Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart."
Trump said he used the same comparison during a 75-minute call with Russian President Vladimir Putin the day before, casting himself not as a direct participant but as a referee observing the conflict.
“You see it in hockey. You see it in sports. The referees let them go for a couple of seconds,” he said. “Let them go for a little while before you pull them apart.”
Trump said he would take a tough stance and could impose sanctions on both Russia and Ukraine if the fighting continues without progress. While he did not name a specific date, he added, “Yes, it’s in my brain the deadline."
Calling Ukraine “the apple of Putin’s eye,” Trump claimed the Russian leader wants to take control of the entire country. Following a reported Ukrainian drone strike on Russian aircraft, Trump said Putin now plans to retaliate.
The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova