Washington [US], June 6: US President Donald Trump once again refused to single out Russia as the aggressor and instigator of the more than three-year conflict, in contrast to his German guest, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who put the blame squarely on Moscow.
When asked if he is willing to slap Russia with more sanctions, Turmp said: "When I see the moment when it's not going to stop, we'll be very tough." But he added that he might hit Ukraine with sanctions.
"It could be on both countries - it takes two to tango,"Trump said.
Trump also likened Russia's war against Ukraine to two children who hate each other and are fighting in a playground, saying, "Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while." Merz, however, was clear that Russia is the aggressor and instigator of the conflict, while Trump was not so unequivocal. "We are on the side of Ukraine," Merz said, adding that Germany and the European Union are "trying to make them stronger and stronger."
Later in the press conference, Merz, when asked if he agreed with that analogy, did not address the child comparison but said he and Trump agree that the war is bad.
"We both agree on this war and how terrible this war is going on, and we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon." Merz said he told Trump that the US president is the key person in the world who can really put an end to the war by putting pressure on Russia."He said he would speak about this in his one-on-one talks with Trump later on Thursday.
Merz has gifted Trump a copy of the birth certificate of Trump's German-born grandfather, inviting the US leader to visit his ancestral lands.
Born 1869 in what was then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Friedrich Trump grew up in Kallstadt, a village tucked away in the lush winegrowing valleys lining the Rhine river to the south of Frankfurt.
Source: Qatar Tribune