Goldberg asked Trump whether he could envision a situation in which he would provide Ukraine with more weapons to help defend its territorial integrity.
"Doesn’t have to be weapons. There are many forms of weapons. Doesn’t have to be weapons with bullets. It can be weapons with sanctions. It can be weapons with banking. It can be many other weapons," Trump said.
When asked if Putin could do something that would cause him to support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump clarified, "Not necessarily Zelenskyy, but Ukraine, yes."
Trump added that he has had "a hard time with Zelenskyy," recalling a clash they had in the Oval Office.
"All he had to do is be quiet, you know? He won his point. He won his point. But instead of saying “Okay” when I made the statement, I said, “Well, we’re working to get it solved. We’re trying to help.” He said, “No, no, we need security too,'" Trump said.
While Trump acknowledged that Zelenskyy must defend his country, he stressed that resolving the war should come first.
"We’ll have to see what happens over the next period of pretty much a week. We’re down to final strokes. And again, this is Biden’s war. I’m not gonna get saddled—I don’t wanna be saddled with it. It’s a terrible war. Should have never happened," Trump added.
Following a massive Russian strike on Ukraine on April 24, Trump urged Putin to strike a peace deal.
"I’m not okay with the Russian strikes on Kyiv. They are unnecessary and terribly timed. Vladimir, stop! Five thousand soldiers are dying each week. Let’s reach a peace agreement!" he wrote on Truth Social.
On April 28, Trump again called on Putin to cease hostilities and reach a deal to end the war, although he admitted he was unsure whether the Russian dictator is genuinely willing to stop the conflict.