Palm Beach, (UNU) US President Donald Trump on Sunday hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago home in this affluent town of Florida, telling reporters he believes both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to make a peace deal to end their war.
Asked whether he believes Putin is serious about peace, Trump told CNN, “I do — I think he is. I think they both are.”
Trump, however, was more equivocal when asked whether the meeting would lead to a deal.
“It depends. I do believe we have the makings of a deal,” he said. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has proved “difficult” to solve, he added, but “we’re going to get it done; we’re going to have a great meeting today.”
Trump declined to weigh in on whether he expects a deal before the end of the year. “I don’t have deadlines,” he said. “You know what my deadline is? Getting the war ended.”
On Russia continuing to bombard Ukraine, Trump suggested Putin was still serious about pursuing an end to the war, pointing out Ukraine had carried out its own attacks on Russia.
Putin is “very serious, I think I can say that,” he told reporters. “I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also, and I don’t say that negatively. I think you probably have to.”
Earlier in the day Trump said he spoke to Putin over phone, and called the conversation “very productive”.
“I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelensky of Ukraine,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The phone conversation with Putin came amid a barrage of Russian missiles and drones on Kyiv, providing an urgent backdrop to the Zelensky talks, CNN reported.
Trump and Putin last spoke in October and agreed during the call to convene a summit in Budapest.
Days later, however, Trump abruptly cancelled the meeting, saying he thought it would be a waste of time.
Trump also confirmed he planned to speak again today with the Russian president following the conclusion of his talks with Zelensky. UNI SSP
Trump meets Zelensky, speaks to Putin over phone
