Trump threatens to abandon Ukraine peace efforts unless deal reached ‘very shortly’

Donald Trump has said the US is ready to “take a pass” on brokering a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine unless a settlement is reached “very shortly,” as Kyiv announced it has signed a memorandum with the US over a controversial minerals deal, Report informs via The Guardian.

“Now if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say: ‘You’re foolish. You’re fools. You’re horrible people’ – and we’re going to just take a pass,” Trump told reporters in Washington. “But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”

Trump declined to give a “specific number of days” for when the US would stop trying to negotiate a truce. “But quickly. We want to get it done.”

Asked whether he was being “played” by Putin, Trump said: “Nobody’s playing me, I’m trying to help.”