The US president has said that he has been working “tirelessly” to stop the bloodshed

US President Donald Trump has affirmed that he is determined to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

He stressed the importance of ending hostilities during his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening.

”Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed or wounded in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight,” he said, adding that he has been “working tirelessly” to bring about a truce.

Trump emphasized that while the people being killed in the conflict are not Americans, he wants the bloodshed to stop.

“It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” Trump said.

He criticized US allies in Europe, claiming that they are spending more money on buying Russian energy than on assistance to Kiev. He claimed that the American funding of Ukraine has been disproportionately high, given that the conflict poses relatively limited risk to the US.

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“The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense… You want to keep it going for another five years?” he asked the audience.

The speech came just days after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had a heated exchange with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at the White House. Zelensky was asked to cut his trip short and leave following the tense spat last Friday, with a proposed minerals deal between the US and Ukraine left unsigned as a result.

Trump said on Tuesday that the agreement, with which he expects to recoup the money previously spent on aid to Ukraine, has remained on track. He quoted a statement issued earlier by Zelensky, in which he claimed that he was ready to negotiate a ceasefire and to sign the minerals deal. Trump said he appreciated Zelensky changing his tune.

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The dispute in the Oval Office was triggered by Zelensky’s claims that Russia cannot be trusted and that, before signing any ceasefire, Ukraine would need security guarantees from the US. Trump has declined to provide specific guarantees to Kiev and ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine.

“We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Trump stressed.

Russia has insisted that Ukraine must abandon its aspirations to join NATO and become a neutral state. Moscow has also demanded that Kiev renounce its claims to Crimea and four other regions that have voted to become part of Russia.