In his speech to both houses of Congress, Donald Trump dedicated minimal time to the issue of Ukraine, mentioning the war with Russia only at the end of his 1.5-hour address.
Despite media reports suggesting that Trump would reveal details of his “peace plan” to end the hostilities, no substantive new statements emerged from the White House.
The Republican claimed he had received “a letter from President Zelenskyy saying he is ready to negotiate and sign a minerals agreement”. However, media speculation about a potential economic partnership announcement also proved unfounded.
Trump accused Europe of “spending more on buying Russian gas than on helping Ukraine” and once again repeated the claim of an alleged $350 billion in US support.
He then asked the Democrats, “Do you want this to go on for another five years?” before stating that “to end the war, you have to talk to both sides” and calling it “wonderful” that Russia allegedly “wants peace”.