President Trump: Russia has advantage while surrounding 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers
President Trump called his conversation with the Russian leader "terrific," and said Russia had many advantages in surrounding Ukrainian soldiers.
According to TASS news agency on March 19, in an interview with Fox News commenting on a phone call with his counterpart Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said that Russia has an advantage because the Russian Armed Forces have surrounded about 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers.
"I think we had a great conversation, almost two hours. We talked about many issues and looking for peace. Russia has the advantage, as you know, they have surrounded about 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers," President Donald Trump said.
US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on March 19 that Washington hopes Ukraine will support the agreements reached during the recent phone call between the US and Russian leaders.
Mr. Witkoff told Fox News, referring to previous ceasefire agreements, that he really hoped Ukraine would agree.
In addition, special envoy Witkoff said that starting Sunday (March 23) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, US and Russian delegations will begin working on details, and then move towards a complete ceasefire.
He noted that the sides agreed on two main aspects: stopping attacks on each other's energy facilities, as well as in the Black Sea.
“Until recently, we did not have an agreement on these issues. Now we have reached an agreement, and I think that from now until a complete ceasefire will be relatively close,” Mr. Witkoff believes.
Earlier, the White House said that the two leaders Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call to "immediately" start technical talks in the Middle East to establish "a ceasefire in the Black Sea, a complete ceasefire and lasting peace".
The Kremlin stressed that an important condition for resolving the conflict is "a complete cessation of foreign military aid and intelligence supplies to Kiev".