President Donald Trump sought to “trust but verify” both sides of the peace talks with Ukraine and Russia between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin, but it was the former and not the latter who reneged on a mineral deal under the demands for security guarantees, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

“I think Vladimir Putin is a an old school communist, a former KGB agent, and he’s not to be trusted, and he is dangerous,” Johnson told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“The way I view this is that China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are engaged in a new axis, axis powers, and they are not on America’s side. Let’s be crystal clear about that. You have to walk circumspectly in these perilous times on the world stage.

“But America is back. America is strong again. And that is good for us and for freedom-loving people around the world.”

But Johnson expressed disappointment Zelenskyy balked at Trump’s minerals deal as a pathway to peace in Ukraine after Putin’s invasion and ongoing war.

“President Trump said very clearly, trust but verify,” Johnson told Dana Bash. “I mean, he is trying to be the change agent to broker a peace and an end to this conflict

“And you have to have both parties at the table to do that. You have to negotiate with both parties. And there has to be a willingness on both sides to bring it to an end.”

Notably, Zelenskyy’s Ukraine had a deal in place with the U.S. for minerals and it was Zelenskyy not committing, according to Johnson.

“The person who walked away from the table [Friday] was President Zelenskyy,” Johnson said. “Look, I have been involved in a lot of bilateral meetings like this with heads of state and dignitaries. There’s a certain protocol to these events.