Trump confirmed that he will first meet with Putin before contacting Zelenskyy and other European leaders. “It wasn’t my call to leave Zelenskyy out of the meeting,” Trump told reporters.
“First meeting with Putin is finding out what we’re doing. Very good chance we’ll have a 2nd meeting… but there may not be a 2nd meeting if I don’t get the answers I want. If the first Putin meeting goes well, I’ll seek a trilateral.”
#WATCH | On reports of Russia suspected to be behind hack of US federal court filing system and if would bring it up when he meets President Putin later this week, US President Donald Trump says, “I guess I could…They hack in, that’s what they do. They are good at it. We are… pic.twitter.com/uyfiUn2Bzg
– years (@ani) August 13, 2025
On the prospect of halting hostilities, Trump warned, “Russia would face consequences if the war is not stopped.”Asked about reports that Russia is suspected of hacking the US federal court filing system, Trump responded in a video shared by US Network Pool via Reuters, “I guess I could [bring it up with Putin]… They hack in, that’s what they do. They are good at it. We are good at it, we are actually better at it. I have heard about it.”
Domestically, Trump addressed the looming September 30 funding deadline, stating he is willing to meet Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. He will seek a 30-day extension on Washington DC control, aiming for a long-term deal.
On economic policy, Trump criticised Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over costly renovations to the Fed’s headquarters, “The Fed should take down interest rates. We should be at 1% interest rate.”
He mocked the renovation costs, saying, “It could have been painted and fixed”.
“We should be 3 or 4 points lower. It’s really just a paper calculation,” he added.
When asked about the Fed Chair candidates, Trump said that it’s down to 3-4 names and they will share the new Fed chairman’s name soon.
