US President Donald Trump reiterated on September 30 that President Volodimir Zelenski and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, should meet the Ukraine's war.
Trump again asked for a meeting between Putin and Zelenski PHOTO EPA-EFE
Trump's last call for a Volodimir Zelenski-Putin meeting comes in the context of his rhetorical changes in the Ukraine. Given that his efforts to mediate peace between Kiev and Moscow did not work, Trump has become frustrated by Russia and has recently made his most pro-Ukrainian statements so far, notes Kyiv Independent.
The Kremlin repeatedly refused calls for an armistice, while intensifying attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Trump said in a room full of American generals that “We have to solve this” and “Let us happen” after months of heavy losses on both sides.
“The only way we can do this is by force,” ” Trump said. “If we were weak, I wouldn't even answer the phone. … Volodimir Zelenski must gather them together and make it happen.”
Volodimir Zelenski said he is ready to meet Putin, but the Russian leader has so far refused to meet his Ukrainian counterpart.
In August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News that no Putin-Volodimir Zelenski was planned, invoking Ukraine's refusal to accept Moscow conditions, including NATO accession and discussions on territorial concessions.
During his speech, Trump also repeated the assertion that Russia and Ukraine lose “5,000–7,000 soldiers per week” and described the fight straight “The worst War of World War II.”
The US president also claimed that he recently ordered the movement of an American nuclear submarine near the Russian waters.
“We are 25 years before Russia and China in the field of submarines,” ” Trump said. “We have better. We have newer. But there is something we would never want to think about.”
In August Trump had stated that US nuclear submarines had been repositioned “Closer to Russia”after a tense exchange of replies with former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev.
Trump told the people that he was “Very disappointed” Putin for the extension of the war, saying that he once warned the Russian leader that he had been fighting for years “It doesn't look good.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on September 24 that Trump's opinion change on Ukraine's ability to defeat Russia came after information from American officials on the current situation on the battlefield and a possible Ukrainian offensive.
