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President Trump suggested letting Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before intervening, likening the war to a hockey brawl, while downplaying pressure to impose harsher sanctions on Moscow.
US President Donald Trump
UPDATED: Jun 6, 2025 00:22 IST
US President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that delaying peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia might be preferable, stating the nations may need to “fight for a while” before intervention.
In a meeting at the Oval Office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump used a striking metaphor to describe the grinding war in Ukraine: likening it to a playground or hockey rink brawl.
“You see it in hockey, you see it in sports,” Trump said. “Let them go for a couple of seconds.”
Calling the war a “bloodbath,” Trump added, “Maybe you’re going to have to keep fighting. It’s probably not going to be pretty.”
The latest comment came as European allies and US lawmakers ramped up pressure to hold Russia accountable for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The German leader, sitting beside Trump, made clear Berlin’s position: “We are looking for more pressure on Russia” to end the war.
Asked about a sanctions measure put forth by top Senate ally Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Trump said, “At the right time, I’ll do what I want to do.”
Over the weekend, Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They’ve co-sponsored a measure that would impose strict tariffs on Moscow.
Blumenthal called the sanctions proposed in legislation “bone-crushing” and said it would place Russia’s economy “on a trade island.”
Trump so far has seemed reluctant to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin despite Trump saying “I want to see the killing stopped.”
Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Jun 6, 2025
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