$USDC Trump compared Russia and Ukraine to "two children who are fighting fiercely in the park":

You know, yesterday, when I was talking to President Putin, I gave him this analogy. Sometimes, and perhaps it sounds pessimistic, but there are times when two children are fighting fiercely in the park, they hate each other, and they don't want to stop. You try to separate them — but they won't let themselves be stopped. And then, perhaps, it's better to let them fight a little before intervening.

I told Putin this analogy. I said: "Mr. President, it may be necessary to continue fighting and suffering, because both sides are suffering, before they can be stopped." It is a well-known situation: two are fighting, fighting — sometimes they are given a little time before intervention. This happens in hockey, in sports — referees give players a little time to wrestle, and then they separate them.