Trump says it may be better to leave Ukraine, Russia “fight for a while”: NPR

Washington – President Donald Trump said Thursday that it might be better to leave Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” before separating them and continuing peace, even if the new Chancellor of Germany made him appeal as “key world” who could stop the effusion of blood by pressure on Vladimir Putin.

At an oval office meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the American president compared the war in Ukraine – which Russia invaded in February 2022 – to a fight between two children who hate each other. Trump said that with children: “Sometimes you better let them fight for a while, then separate them”, adding that he had relayed the analogy to Putin in a call this week.

“I said: ‘President, maybe you will have to continue to fight and suffer a lot’ ‘, because both sides suffer before separating them, before being able to separate,” said Trump. “You see in hockey, you see it in sport. The referees let them go for a few seconds, let them go a little before separating them.”

The comments were a remarkable detour of the often stated calls of Trump to stop violence in Ukraine – and he again denounced blood sampling Thursday when the possibility floated that the two countries continue the war for a while. Merz carefully bypassed Trump’s claims and stressed that the United States and Germany both get along on “how terrible this war is”, while making sure to blame Putin for violence and argue that Germany was defended with Ukraine.

“We are both looking for means to stop it very soon,” said Merz in the oval office. “I told the president before our arrival that he was the key person in the world who can really do it now by putting pressure on Russia.”

The meeting on Thursday was the first time that the two leaders have sat in person, and Merz has left the public party unharmed when he successfully avoided the kind of TV confrontation in the oval office which struck other world leaders such as Volodymyr of Ukraine Zelenskyy and Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa. Trump and Merz started by exchanging jokes – Merz gave Trump a Grandfather’s Grandfather’s Birth Certificate of the US President Friedrich Trump, who emigrated to America from Kallstadt, Germany, and Trump called the Chancellor “very good man to manage”.

“It is difficult, I would say? Can I say that? Is it positive. You wouldn’t want me to say that you are easy, right?” Said Trump, gently ribbed Merz. “He is a very great representative of Germany.”

Merz told German journalists after the White House meeting that he had invited Trump to visit Germany, “his country of origin” and added that the two leaders “got along well for personal level”.

Trump and Merz had already spoken several times by phone since Merz took office on May 6. German officials said the two leaders began to build a “decent” relationship. Merz avoided antagonism that defined Trump’s relationship with one of his predecessors, Angela Merkel, during the first mandate of the Republican President.

Merz underlines the support of Ukraine

Merz, 69 years old – who came to power with vast commercial experience – is a former conservative rival of Merkel who resumed his party after his retirement from politics.

Merz embarked on diplomacy in Ukraine, going to kyiv with his colleagues European leaders after taking office and received Zelenskyy in Berlin last week. He thanked Trump for his support for an unconditional ceasefire while rejecting the idea of ​​”dictated peace” or “subjugation” of Ukraine and pleading for more sanctions against Russia.

Trump also kept the threat of sanctions on the table on Thursday – but for Russia and Ukraine. He said that he had not examined the law of the Bipartisan Senate which would impose severe economic sanctions in Moscow, but said sanctions efforts according to which “they would be guided by me”, rather than Capitol Hill.

“When I see the moment when it will not stop … We will be very, very difficult,” said Trump. “And it could be on both countries, to be honest. It takes two in Tango.”

From Merz, he used Friday’s birthday’s birthday – when the Allied forces launched an assault that started the release of Europe from the German occupation – to call on Trump to help lead the end of another violent war against the continent.

Merz noted that on June 6, 1944, began the release of Germany of a Nazi dictator and that “the American is again in a position very strong for something on this war and finishing this war”.

“Wasn’t it a pleasant day for you?” Trump intervened to the German chief when he referred to D -Day.

At home, the government of Merz intensifies a campaign that its immediate predecessor, Olaf Scholz, began to strengthen the German army after Russia has invaded Ukraine. The first term of Trump, Berlin was a target of his anger for not having reached NATO’s current objective of spending 2% of the gross domestic product in defense, and Trump now requests at least 5% of allies.

Before Thursday’s meeting, a White House official said that the administration planned to highlight in Germany that he should increase his defense expenses and that the next NATO summit in the Netherlands was a good opportunity to engage in Trump’s commitment to 5% of Trump. But during an exchange with journalists, Trump congratulated Berlin: “I know that you spend more money in defense now and a little more money. This is a positive thing.”

Scholz has created a special fund of 100 billion euros ($ 115 billion) to modernize the armed forces of Germany – called Bundeswehr – which had suffered from years of negligence. Germany has reached the target of 2% thanks to the fund, but it will be used in 2027. Merz has approved a plan so that all allies aim to spend 3.5% of GDP on their defense budgets by 2032, more an additional 1.5% on things potentially linked to defense such as infrastructure.

Price price

Another absolute priority for Merz is to obtain the German economy, the largest in Europe, moving again after decreasing in the past two years. He wants to make it a “growth locomotive”, but Trump’s pricing threats are a potential obstacle to a country whose exports have been a key strength. Currently, the economy should stagnate in 2025.

Germany exported $ 160 billion in the United States last year, according to the census office. It was about 85 billion dollars more than the United States sent to Germany, a trade deficit that Trump wants to erase.

“Germany is one of the very major investors in America,” Merz told German journalists Thursday morning before his visit with Trump. “Only a few countries invest more than Germany in the United States. We are in third place in terms of direct foreign investment.”

The American president specifically continued the German automotive sector, which includes major brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen. The Americans bought $ 36 billion of Germany cars, trucks and car parts last year, while the Germans bought a value of $ 10.2 billion in vehicles and parts of the 25% of the United States on cars and parts are specifically designed to increase the cost of German manufacturing cars.

There are only many Merz to achieve in his opinion that prices “do not benefit anyone and do not damage everyone” in Washington, because commercial negotiations are a question for the Executive Commission of the European Union. Trump hinted this Thursday, saying that the commercial situation will mainly depend on negotiations with the block of 27 countries.

“We will end up with a business agreement,” said Trump. “Or we will do something. We will do the prices.”

Trump recently delayed a planned rate of 50% on goods from the European Union, which would otherwise have entered into force this month.