Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Sep 10: US President Donald Trump has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to reach a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, but maintained that deep personal hostility between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains a major hurdle to diplomatic efforts.

Speaking about his recent conversation with Putin, Trump said the Russian president was willing to reach a deal if Zelenskyy was also prepared to negotiate.

"We had a great conversation. He is wanting to make a deal — and if Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that would be very nice. The hold-up is two people that hate each other," Trump said.

Trump also spoke about the ongoing conflict with Iran and claimed that US forces had destroyed nine Iranian tankers. He warned that further attacks could follow.

"We have knocked out nine of their ships," Trump said, adding that the attacks were carried out by the United States and that "you are going to see a lot more."

On the possibility of ending the Iran war, Trump said he believed the conflict would end immediately after the upcoming US midterm elections. He accused Iran of attempting to influence the election in the hope of bringing a weaker administration to power in Washington.

Trump said any future agreement with Iran would extend beyond its nuclear programme. "I am doing much more than a nuclear deal. There is a lot more than nuclear," he said, adding that several other issues would now be on the negotiating table.

Trump made the remarks before leaving for a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, while expressing optimism that diplomacy could eventually produce a settlement in Ukraine. He said Putin was prepared to negotiate but indicated that progress would depend on both Putin and Zelenskyy being willing to reach an agreement.