When asked how he would determine that so quickly, Trump replied, “Because that’s what I do — I make deals.”
Trump said he plans to tell Putin directly, “You’ve got to end this war,” adding that the Russian leader “wasn’t going to mess with me.” He also remarked on the venue choice, calling it “very respectful” for Putin to come to the US rather than meeting in Russia or at a neutral location. “I think we’ll have constructive conversations,” he said.Also Read: Trump-Putin meeting may ease tariffs threatening India’s energy imports, says former Ambassador
Looking ahead, Trump outlined his vision for the next step in diplomacy. “The next meeting will be with Zelenskyy and Putin, or Zelenskyy, Putin and me,” he said. “I’ll be there if they need me, but I want to have a meeting set up between the two leaders.”
Trump’s effort to moderate expectations for the summit follows Zelenskiy ruling out Putin’s demand for territory that Moscow doesn’t control as a pre-condition for a ceasefire, with the Ukrainian leader citing the need for constitutional approval. Trump on Monday slammed that excuse, adding that he was “a little bothered” by it.
As diplomatic efforts continue to end the Kremlin’s war on its neighbour, Ukraine and its European allies have been pushing for a halt to the fighting, freezing the current frontline as a first step before talks on a more enduring settlement.
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Putin is demanding that Ukraine cede its entire eastern Donbas area as well as Crimea, which his forces illegally annexed in 2014, as a condition to unlock a ceasefire and enter negotiations over a longer-term accord.
Trump said he expected to confer with Zelenskiy and European allies by phone immediately after his meeting with Putin. The president said he expected to either outline to them the contours of a deal that included land swaps negotiated with Putin, or that he did not believe a peace deal could be brokered.
“I think we’ll have constructive conversations, then after that meeting, immediately, maybe as I’m flying out, maybe, as I’m leaving the room, I’ll be calling the European leaders,” Trump said.
This week’s meeting with Putin represents a high-stakes gamble for the US president, who campaigned on ending the war quickly but whose efforts have been frustrated in office. Ceding to Putin’s demands would require Zelenskiy to order a withdrawal of troops from parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions still held by Kyiv.
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Trump said there may be “some changes” in the land. “We’re going to change the lines, the battle lines. Russia has occupied a large portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine,” he added.
