Trump Likens Russia-Ukraine War To Kids Brawl, Says 'Let Them Fight'

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it might be better if Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” before peace prevails, as Germany's new chancellor appealed to him as the "key person in the world” who could stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from causing more bloodshed by pressuring him.

In an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump likened the Russia-Ukraine war to a fight between children who hate each other. He also said that he communicated the same to Putin in the call.

“Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “They hate each other, and they're fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.”

Trump through this analogy admitted that he is not acting as the man in the middle but as a referee who is letting an altercation happen.

“You see it in hockey. You see it in sports. The referees let them go for a couple of seconds,” he said. “Let them go for a little while before you pull them apart.”

The US president has gone a long way from saying he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in a day to finally coming around and accepting that it is a problem he cannot solve.

Merz tried to strike an optimistic chord and cited the anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy this week, as an example of “when the Americans once ended a war in Europe.” However, Trump responded to that saying, “That was not a pleasant day for you,” referring to the defeat of the German Nazis.

Merz responded to it by saying that the American intervention liberated his country (Germany) from Nazi dictatorship. “We know what we owe you,” he said. “But this is the reason why I'm saying that America is, again, in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war”, he added.

Regarding sanctions on Russia, which the European countries have been pressing Trump for, he was slightly hesitant about pushing Russia away from the negotiating table. Nevertheless, he suggested that he would apply punitive measures on Ukraine if the war does not end. 

“We'll be very, very, very tough, and it could be on both countries to be honest,” Trump said. “You know, it takes two to tango.”