Questions whether ceasefire..........

Trump questions whether ceasefire "necessary," says peace agreement "very attainable"

From CNN's Kit Maher at the White House

While President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is preferable, he questioned whether “it’s necessary,” given he believes a broader peace deal can come to fruition in the “near future.”

“All of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace. And maybe something like that could happen. As of this moment, it’s not happening,” Trump said while sitting alongside European leaders at the White House. He added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin can discuss the matter.

“I don’t know that it’s necessary,” Trump said. “I like the ceasefire. From another standpoint, you immediately stop the killing. But I believe a peace agreement at the end of all of this is something that’s very attainable, and it can be done in the near future.”

At the table, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz advocated for a ceasefire agreement before a trilateral meeting with Trump, Zelensky and Putin.

“We all would like to see a ceasefire. … I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire. So let’s work on that, and let’s try to put pressure on Russia as a result of a potential trilateral meeting,” Merz said.

Reminder: On his way to Alaska to meet Putin last week, Trump said, “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don’t know if it’s going to be today, but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today.”

After the Alaska meeting, Trump backed off on his push for a ceasefire, instead seeking a full peace deal — which could take much longer to hash out.