US President Donald Trump has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is more eager to reach a deal than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while defending his announcement of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Axar.az reports, citing foreign media, that Trump made the remarks in a statement shared by the White House’s Rapid Response account.

“I think, actually, Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelensky,” Trump said.

Asked by a reporter about his ceasefire announcement, noting that neither side had agreed to it, Trump insisted that both sides had accepted the proposal.

“They agreed. You know why? Because I said, ‘You agree’ — that’s why,” he said. “They agreed because I said they agreed, and that thing has to get settled.”