Former US President Donald Trump, a longtime admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday that Putin has been “somewhat weakened” by the Wagner Group mutiny and that now is the time for the United States to try to broker a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.

“I want people to stop dying for this ridiculous war,” Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Speaking at length on foreign policy, Trump, who is leading in the polls for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, also said China should be given 48 hours to withdraw from what sources familiar with the matter say the Chinese espionage is active in Cuba 90 miles (145 km) from the US coast.

On Ukraine, Trump did not rule out that the Kiev government may have to cede some territory to Russia to stop the war, which began when Russian forces invaded Ukraine 16 months ago. He said everything would be “negotiable” if he were president, but that Ukrainians who have fought hard to defend their land “have earned a lot of credit.”

“I think they would be entitled to keep a lot of what they won and I think Russia would agree with that. You need the right mediator or negotiator, and we don’t have that right now,” he said, according to Reuters.

Contrary to what Donald Trump says, US President Joe Biden and NATO allies want Russia to withdraw from the territories it has seized in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive, which has made small gains in driving out Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last year proposed a 10-point peace plan calling on Russia to withdraw all its troops.

“I think the biggest thing the US should be doing right now is to make peace – bring Russia and Ukraine together and make peace. You can do it,” Trump said. “the time has come to do it, to unite the two parties to enforce peace.”