President Donald Trump is “hopeful” Russia and Ukraine can make a deal this week after a temporary Easter ceasefire between the two countries ended.
“Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune!”
The war between the two countries has raged for more than three years and has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people on both sides.
PUTIN ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY EASTER CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of breaking their ceasefire agreement and said “the Russian army has violated Putin’s ceasefire more than two thousand times.”
“The total number of violations by the Russian army of Russia’s own ceasefire promise throughout the day reached 2,935. The highest number of shellings and assaults occurred in the Pokrovsk,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will remain a mirror-image and “will respond to silence with silence our strikes in defense of Russian strikes.”
“Actions are always more eloquent than words,” Zelenskyy said.
PUTIN CONSCRIPTS 160K MEN AS RUSSIA EYES UKRAINE OFFENSIVE
Putin ordered his forces to stop all military activity along the front line in the temporary Easter ceasefire until midnight, Moscow time, on Sunday.
Zelenskyy previously said that if the Easter ceasefire actually held up, he would propose extending it longer.
“That is what will reveal Russia’s true intentions – because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures,” he said. “Thirty days could give peace a chance.”
Zelenskyy added that “there is no trust in words coming from Moscow” after one of his military leaders reported that Russia had seemed to break their truce.
“We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything. Ukraine’s Defense Forces will act rationally – responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response,” Zelenskyy said.
ZELENSKYY SENSATIONALLY PREDICTS PUTIN ‘WILL DIE SOON’
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., echoed Zelenskyy and said on “Face the Nation” on CBS that the likelihood of Russia upholding the deal is “entirely up to Vladimir Putin.”
“The man has never kept his word, ever, in any context, as far as I’m aware,” Fitzpatrick said. “So we have to know what we’re dealing with. Our government, I hope, knows who they’re dealing with Vladimir Putin. He’s not a man of his word. He’s not interested in peace. I hope he gets there.”
Fitzpatrick added that he felt like Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “doing a great job and understands Putin.”
“He understands the dynamic of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the history there. And I have full faith in his ability to barter a just and fair agreement,” Fitzpatrick explained. “But it’s important to remember, and this applies to all agreements where we facilitate as a nation, that it’s ultimately up to the nations to accept and abide by those conditions.”
“President Zelensky, the Ukrainian people desperately want peace. They’ve always wanted peace. They were a peaceful nation before Russia wrongfully invaded them, and they want to get it back. But it has got to be a just and lasting peace,” he said.
The temporary ceasefire came after Trump on Thursday said an 80-page minerals deal will be signed with Ukraine in one week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said it would likely be signed on April 26.
Details on the agreement remain relatively unknown, though recent reporting by Bloomberg has suggested the U.S. has eased back its demands for repayment for its aid in Ukraine’s fight against Russia from $300 billion to $100 billion.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.