US President Donald Trump on Friday told reporters he found it easier to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin than with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The US President said he believed the Russian leader – who launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine more than three years ago – when Putin said he sought peace.
Earlier on Friday the U.S. President had raised the prospect of imposing large-scale sanctions on Russia.
It comes after a Reuters report earlier this week that the White House was preparing to give Russia possible sanctions relief as part of the push to end the war and improve diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow.
Trump afterward canceled U.S. support for Ukraine and ended the sharing of crucial intelligence, measures that stunned allies across Europe and were met with approval in Moscow.
