Trump: Maybe It’s Better to Let Russia and Ukraine Fight a Bit Longer

U.S. President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Russia and Ukraine “fight a bit longer” before any peace agreement is reached. He compared the ongoing war to a fight between children, noting that sometimes it’s best to let them fight it out before stepping in.

“Sometimes you see two kids fighting and hating each other. You try to stop them, but they don’t want to be separated. Sometimes it’s better to let them fight a bit—and then break it up,” Trump said during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

He added that he used the same analogy during a recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Trump, he told Putin: “Maybe you’ll have to keep fighting and suffering, because both sides are suffering, before you separate them. You see it in hockey—you let them fight for a few seconds, then stop them.”

Chancellor Merz expressed that the U.S. and Germany should work together to bring about peace. He called Trump a “key figure” capable of influencing an end to the conflict. In response, Trump didn’t rule out sanctions on both parties, saying, “It takes two to tango.”