Trump credits administration for easing World War III risk in Ukraine crisis

US President Donald Trump believes that the conflict in Ukraine had the potential to escalate into World War III but emphasized that the threat has since diminished.

“It very easily could have led to World War III,” Trump said on March 14, discussing the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“Everything was heading toward a third world war. Because of nuclear weapons, it would have been a war like never before,” he added, speaking at the US Department of Justice.

Trump expressed confidence that his administration’s efforts to address the conflict had contributed to reducing the threat of global war. “But I think we're doing pretty well. Much better than we were before we got involved,” he stated, referring to the steps taken by his administration.

On March 11, talks between US and Ukrainian delegations were held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At the conclusion of the meeting, Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, and the US resumed intelligence transfers and military assistance to Ukraine. The parties also reached an agreement to expedite a deal regarding the extraction of Ukrainian minerals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his appreciation for Trump’s involvement in the peace process and voiced support for the ceasefire. However, Putin raised several fundamental concerns regarding the status of Ukrainian troops that had entered Russia’s Kursk region, the monitoring of the ceasefire, and Ukraine’s actions during the ceasefire period. Putin reiterated Moscow’s stance, agreeing with the proposals to end hostilities, but emphasized that they should lead to long-term peace and address the root causes of the crisis.

Trump, who has worked to thaw US relations with Moscow since the start of his second term in office in January, commented on the discussions between Kyiv and Washington. He mentioned that the talks included elements such as territorial concessions, the fate of a key power plant — referring to the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility — and Ukraine’s potential future accession to NATO.

“Now we’re going to see whether or not Russia is there, and if they’re not, it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world,” Trump said. “Putin put out a very promising statement, but it was incomplete. And yeah, I’d love to meet with him, or talk to him.”

“We do have some cautious optimism,” US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said in an interview. “Of course, both sides are going to have their demands, and of course, both sides are going to have to make some compromises, and the shuttle diplomacy of going back and forth is happening.”

Despite recent developments, the Kremlin maintained a cautious tone on March 14.

“There are certainly reasons to be cautiously optimistic,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Russia’s response to the peace talks on March 14.

“Now the world sees how Russia is deliberately putting forward conditions that only complicate and delay everything, because Russia is the only entity that wants the war not to end and diplomacy to break down,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.

By Tamilla Hasanova