As he met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump also confirmed to reporters on Friday that Zelenskyy would “be in touch” with Russian President Vladimir Putin during upcoming negotiations in Hungary.
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However, direct discussions between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine are unlikely, according to Trump, who reiterated that the two presidents are at odds with one another.
Trump told reporters, “I believe we have a chance of ending the war quickly if flexibility is shown.”
Zelenskyy, for his part, cited the Trump-brokered ceasefire in Gaza and the Russian losses as indicators of a resolution.
Zelenskyy remarked, “I believe this provides the momentum to bring Russia’s war against Ukraine to a close.”
He told Trump, “Yes, we understand that Putin is not ready.” However, I have faith that we can stop this war because we really need it, and I’m confident in that.
Zelenskyy’s third trip to Washington, D.C., since Trump’s second term as president was over in January. The two presidents’ ties improved following the brief but friendly meeting.
In contrast, Zelenskyy’s initial visit, which took place in February, resulted in a contentious White House exchange. Trump insulted the president of Ukraine by telling him to stand up for him in front of reporters.
In response to Zelenskyy’s public retaliation, Vice President JD Vance alleged him of not expressing gratitude to the US for supporting Ukraine. Zelenskyy left the White House early after the meeting was ultimately cut short.
Push with a tomahawk
Trump, however, praised Zelenskyy as a “very strong leader” and praised his suit jacket on Friday.
The US president, however, refused to back Ukraine’s request for Tomahawk missiles, a type of precise, long-range projectiles Kyiv wants.
Trump said that while they are a very powerful weapon, they are also a very dangerous weapon, which could lead to significant escalation.
It “could lead to a lot of bad things happening,” he said. Hawkeyes are a significant deal. However, I must add that we also want Tomahawks. We don’t want to distribute things to protect our country.
The US president stated that he would continue to discuss the matter with Zelenskyy.
Trump made an open letter to the Ukrainian president about trading mass-produced Ukrainian drones for US Tomahawk missiles.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine is prepared to negotiate a ceasefire through diplomatic means with Russia.
He told reporters, “We know what we need to do to get Putin to the table of negotiations.” We are ready to speak in any kind of format, whether it be bilateral or trilateral, as I previously stated. Just peace is what matters, really?
When asked if Ukraine would abandon its desire to join NATO in order to put an end to the conflict, Zelenskyy declined, stating that Kyiv still values security guarantees.
A member of NATO is protected by a mutual defense pact, which means an attack on an allies is regarded as an attack on allies. Russia has opposed the United States’ attempts to join.
However, Zelenskyy made a suggestion on Friday that Ukraine would be content with a US-US military alliance.
“Bilateral security guarantees between President Trump and me are very important to us.” Although we didn’t speak with specifics about it, he said, “This is the most significant document because the United States is very strong.”
Trump “wants to make a deal,” according to Putin.
In February 2022, Russia declared that NATO was expanding into former Soviet republics and that it had invaded Ukraine completely.
The initial stages of the offensive, which had the goal of capturing Kyiv, were successfully fought off by Ukrainian forces. However, the conflict has deteriorated into a protracted conflict centered in Ukraine’s eastern regions.
Joe Biden, a former US president, worked with Congress to secure tens of billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid for Kyiv and declared unwavering support for the country.
Trump hasn’t been as enthusiastic about supporting Ukraine, despite promising to put an end to the conflict right away.
Instead, he has rekindled his diplomatic relations with Putin and has been urging a peaceful resolution.
However, he asserted in a significant change last month that Ukraine could win militarily and reclaim all of Russia’s territory.
The US president and Putin had a “productive” phone conversation on Thursday to set up the upcoming meeting in Hungary. In August, the two leaders had a bilateral summit in Alaska.
A reporter questioned Trump about whether Putin might be talking to Zelenskyy about extending his diplomatic ties to advance the war during their meeting on Friday.
Trump said, “I’ve been played by the best of them all my life, and I came out really well, so it’s possible – a little time.”
Source: Aljazeera
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