Washington: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump expressed hope that the critical talks with Ukrainian and European leaders at the White House this week could lead to trilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The hastily assembled meeting came after Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin late last week, where the US President had said that the onus is now on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions that he said could end the war.
“If everything works out today, we’ll have a trilat,” Trump said at the White House, referring to possible trilateral talks among Zelensky, Putin, and Trump. “We’re going to work with Russia, we’re going to work with Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy said that he is fully on board with Russia’s proposal for a one-on-one meeting with President Putin, signalling a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the war. He emphasized the need for direct dialogue. “We are ready for any leader-level meetings. This is the only way to solve these complicated and painful issues,” he said.
Ahead of the meeting, however, Trump suggested that Ukraine could not regain Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion.
"Sure, I'll meet Zelenskyy": Putin
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart Donald Trump that he was willing to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Rubio highlighted that the fact that Putin is ready to meet Zelensky after three years of war is a "big deal".
According to Politico, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly suggested hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a one-on-one meeting in Russia. The call took place on August 18 while Zelenskyy and several European leaders were at the White House for meetings with Trump.
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Putin 'tired' of war but may resist peace deal: Trump US President Donald Trump said he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will “be good" and move towards ending the war in Ukraine, while acknowledging that it is possible the Kremlin leader does not want a deal. Talking to Fox News, Donald Trump said, “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." “I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he’s not, it’s going to be a rough situation. And I hope that President Zelenskyy will do what he has to do. He has to show some flexibility also," he said. |
