Trump: I Think Ukraine Will Have a Somewhat Altered Shape

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with CBS News aired Sunday that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine is close and that the country will have a somewhat altered shape. He added that he does not think Russian leader Vladimir Putin is stringing him along.

The interview, broadcast Sunday evening on “60 Minutes,” was the president’s first face-to-face television interview since the Republicans’ loss in the midterm congressional elections. It covered the election results, the war with Iran and the war in Ukraine, cooperation with Democrats, and immigration policy, among other topics.

Asked about the election results, in which Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress to Democrats, Trump said it happened because he was not on the ballot himself, and because people are unhappy about the war and high gasoline prices. He also pointed to some voters’ dislike of Israel and to the fact that they did not like some of the candidates.

The president said he would like to work with Democrats on immigration and judged that his administration’s deportation policy had been too harsh.

– I think I deserve the highest marks for sealing the border. I also get very high marks for getting dangerous people out of the country. But at the same time I lose points for it, because we also deported people who had good jobs and whose only offense — the only law they broke — was entering the country illegally – Trump said.

– A large part of the public believes such people should be deported. But there is also a large part of the public that believes they should be allowed to stay if they are decent people, if they work, for example, at a landscaping company, a hotel or some other job. And in some cases they pay taxes. And there is a really large group of people who believe they should be allowed to remain in the country – he added.

He said he could work out some kind of agreement with Democrats on the issue.

Trump was also asked whether he thinks Democrats will again launch impeachment proceedings against him. – I can’t imagine it (…) What did I do? I’ve had the best two years of any presidency in history – he argued.

The president said there is no reason to escalate the war with Iran. Also on Sunday, he told CNN that a resumption of attacks is unlikely if there is progress in talks with Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Sunday that the talks with Iran are not producing results. – Right now the talks are not very productive, because Iran’s demands are not only simply unacceptable, but in some cases downright outrageous and absurd – said the head of American diplomacy.

In the interview, conducted Friday and aired Sunday, Trump said there would be some changes in his administration after the congressional elections. An hour after the CBS News interview ended, Trump announced that one of his closest advisers, Stephen Miller, would become the new White House chief of staff. Until now, that key post had been held by Susie Wiles, Trump’s former campaign manager.

The president again assured viewers in the interview that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine is close. Asked whether he trusts Russian leader Vladimir Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky more, he replied: – I’d rather not say, but I get along with both.

He said he believes Russia was “shown enormous disrespect” at one of the previous meetings. Trump also does not think Putin is stringing him along, and said no one has been as tough on Russia as he has.

– I think we’ll be able to see this through to the end. I think that is what will happen, and in the end Ukraine will have a somewhat altered shape – Trump said. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to hold talks in Abu Dhabi with the participation of a U.S. delegation.

From Washington, Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)