Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he hoped Russian President Vladimir Putin would move toward ending the conflict in Ukraine, though he admitted there was a possibility that Moscow may resist any settlement.
Speaking on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Trump remarked, “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, to be honest with you. I think Putin is tired of it. I think they’re all tired of it, but you never know.” He added that the coming weeks would reveal whether the Russian leader was willing to negotiate.
Trump’s comments came a day after he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House for discussions on possible peace efforts. That meeting followed his summit with Putin in Alaska last Friday, where, according to Trump, initial groundwork for further talks was laid.
“We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks … It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal,” Trump said. “I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he’s not, it’s going to be a rough situation.”
The US president also indicated that Ukraine’s leadership would need to make some adjustments in the negotiating process. “I hope that … President Zelenskyy will do what he has to do. He has to show some flexibility also,” he stated.
One of the key topics under discussion is the issue of long-term security for Ukraine. Trump said while European allies were prepared to commit troops in some capacity, the United States would not send soldiers to Ukraine. “There’ll be some form of security. It can’t be NATO,” he said. “They’re willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you could talk about by air.”
Pressed on whether US troops might eventually defend Ukraine’s borders, Trump replied: “You have my assurance. You know, I’m president.”
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on state television that no lasting peace deal could be achieved without addressing Russia’s security concerns and the rights of Russian-speaking residents in Ukraine. “Without respect for Russia’s security interests, without full respect for the rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people who live in Ukraine, there can be no talk of any long-term agreements,” Lavrov said on Rossiya 24.
He also stressed that any direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy would need careful groundwork. “Any contacts involving leaders must be prepared very thoroughly,” Lavrov noted.
Trump revealed that after his White House meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders, he placed a call to Putin to explore the possibility of arranging a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. “I didn’t do it in front of them. I thought that would be disrespectful to President Putin,” he explained, saying the Russian leader took his call “very happily” despite the late hour in Moscow.
Trump suggested that a trilateral summit involving himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy could follow if preliminary discussions showed promise. “We’re going to have a meeting. I think if everything works out well today we’ll have a trilateral and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,” he said.
The US President also stressed that any agreement should be durable rather than temporary. “We’re not looking for a two-year deal. That would be a mess again,” Trump said, underlining his preference for what he called a “long-term peace.”
The White House talks brought together a number of European figures, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Starmer described the discussions as a “historic step” for Ukraine’s security, while Finnish President Alexander Stubb observed that more progress had been made in the past fortnight than in the preceding three years.
Trump insisted that Washington would remain engaged in Ukraine’s future. “We are going to work with Ukraine, we are going to work with everybody,” he said.