I don't think Russian leader Vladimir Putin is ready to end the war, but I am convinced that with your help we can end this war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington.
– I think we understand that Putin is not really ready, I think, but I am convinced that with your help we can stop this war and we really need it. We see that the Russians (Russians – PAP) have not achieved success on the battlefield, Zelensky said after Trump announced the major progress made in his Thursday conversation with Putin. (PAP)
Trump is singing a completely different song
US President Donald Trump said at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday that he thinks Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants peace.
He emphasized that he had a “very good conversation” with Putin on Thursday and that he believed that Putin wanted to end the war.
Trump said both leaders were “doing a good job” when it comes to negotiations. He also assured again that India would no longer buy Russian oil. (PAP)
Will it be decided in Budapest?
US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that he would meet with Vladimir Putin privately in Budapest because the leaders of Russia and Ukraine hate each other too much. He also noted that he would talk to Volodymyr Zelensky about strikes deep inside Russia.
– I would say that it will most likely be a match between two people. It will be a double meeting, but President Zelensky will be in touch. There is a lot of blood, bad blood between these two presidents (…) These two leaders do not like each other and we want everyone to be comfortable. So, one way or the other, they will be involved in threes, but it may be separated, Trump said during a meeting with Zelensky at the White House.
The tomahawks were almost there, but… they got away
When asked about giving Ukraine long-range weapons and helping with attacks deep inside Russia, Trump said, that the US needs Tomahawks for its own needs and this is a problem. He also estimated that the war with Russia could be ended without Tomahawks. Zelensky said he had a proposal for the US on this matter.
Trump responded this way to a question from a Fox News journalist about what would happen if the US sold Tomahawks to Ukraine and then needed them.
– That's a problem. We need Tomahawks. And we need a lot of other things that we've been sending to Ukraine for the last four years,” Trump said. – One of the reasons we want to end this war is precisely because it is not easy for us to give you huge numbers of powerful weapons, so this is one of the topics we will talk about. Hopefully they won't need it. Let's hope we can end the war without Tomahawks, the US president added, noting that he believed the end of the war was near.
Zelensky suggested that he had a proposal for the US to sell drones in exchange for cruise missiles.
– We have a proposition. We have extensive experience with our drones, said the President of Ukraine. Trump replied that he would be interested in Ukrainian drones, which he assessed as good, but also noted that the US had a lot of unmanned aerial vehicles, and added that “there is nothing like jets.” (PAP)
Does he want peace or is he playing for time?
US President Donald Trump admitted on Friday during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House that Vladimir Putin may be trying to play for time by proposing a meeting in Budapest. However, he added that he believed that the Russian leader wanted peace.
When asked whether he was afraid that Putin was trying to play for time by proposing another summit, Trump admitted that he had such a fear.
– You know, I've been played by the best all my life, but I've always been good at it, so it's possible. Yes, he may want to buy some time, but that's okay. But I think I'm pretty good at it. I think he wants to get along. I have concluded eight such agreements. It will be nine o'clock now. “I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump said. (PAP)
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