Trump says Russia might be ‘dragging its feet’ on cease-fire deal

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump acknowledged that his rapid drive to end the war in Ukraine had hit a snag, observing that Russia appeared to be slow-walking the U.S.-brokered negotiations as it angles for further concessions from the West. Trump’s comments came hours after the White House announced a Black Sea cease-fire deal and Russia promptly demanded additional steps from the West on sanctions relief before complying with such a truce.

Asked about Moscow’s procrastination, Trump said that the Kremlin might be “dragging its feet" and compared the maneuvering to his own past tactics in real-estate negotiations. “I’ve done it over the years. You know, I don’t want to sign a contract.

I want to sort of stay in the game, but maybe I don’t want to do it quite—I’m not sure," he said in an interview with Newsmax. The Kremlin didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump, whose first published book was titled “The Art of the Deal," has said his prowess in business negotiations could be extended successfully to the international arena.

But in his breakneck effort to end the brutal, three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, Trump faces a wiley and seasoned opponent on the other side: Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Putin has made it clear that he wants major concessions to end the war—conditions that are unacceptable to Ukraine and its European allies. These include keeping Ukraine out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, handing over swaths of Ukrainian territory to Russia and ensuring that whatever remains of Ukraine after that is unable to rearm with Western help.