Russian foreign minister claims Putin is 'ready to reach a deal' with Trump on Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented Thursday during an interview with CBS that the Kremlin is "ready to reach a deal" with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Ukraine, adding that some elements still need to be "fine tuned." On "Face the Nation" with journalist Margaret Brennan, Lavrov stated that "the president of the United States believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction."

Moreover, Lavrov stressed that there were "several signs that we are moving in the right direction." Asked what those signs were, the Kremlin foreign minister told Brennan that the biggest one of all was the Republican leader, adding that he is "probably the only leader on Earth who recognized the need to address the root causes of this situation."

The interview with Lavrov came just hours after the U.S. leader spoke out about his displeasure with the Russian President Vladimir Putin via his Truth Social account over the recent shelling of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, which left at least eight dead and more than 70 wounded. "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV [Kiev]. Not neccesary [sic] and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying Let's get the Peace Deal DONE!" Trump posted.

An intentional attack?

Regarding these airstrikes, Brennan asked Lavrov why it was necessary to kill the population if the Ukrainian government had already shown a month ago its readiness to accept a ceasefire. Lavrov replied that "we only target military goals or civilian sites used by the military," adding that "President Putin expressed this for so many times, and this is not different this time as well." Similarly, Lavrov hinted that the attack on the Ukrainian capital was intentional, noting that "if this was a target used by the Ukrainian military," then the defense minister and commanders on the ground "have the right to attack them."

Over the past few weeks, Trump has repeated that he believes the Russian government also wants peace, and has even publicly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite recently accepting his proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Trump even went so far as to comment several times during his presidential campaign not only that Ukraine was the main culprit in the war, or that the United States should not get involved in a war it had nothing to do with, but also that, if elected, he would reach a peace agreement in as little as one day.