Trump Signals Willingness to Meet with Putin,Zelensky as He Downplays Tomahawk Deployment
WASHINGTON D.C. – Former President Donald Trump on Thursday indicated he is prepared to meet with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir putin on an equal footing, expressing optimism he can broker a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.The announcement followed a two-hour meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House, concluding around 9 p.m. Lisbon time.
Trump stated he hopes to meet with Putin “within two weeks,” with a previously scheduled meeting planned for Budapest. He emphasized his desire to “close a deal” and “end this war,” reiterating, “I love solving wars.” He claimed to have already resolved eight wars and saved “thousands and thousands of lives.”
While acknowledging Ukraine’s request for advanced weaponry, Trump cautioned against providing Tomahawk missiles, stating, “giving Tomahawks to Ukraine could mean further escalation, a lot of bad things could happen.” He added,”we don’t want to give up what we might need to protect our country,” and described the weapons as “extraordinary but dangerous.” He expressed a preference for avoiding their use, saying, “We have many devastating weapons but I would prefer not to use them.”
Trump’s comments came as Zelensky publicly stated Putin is “not ready for peace” and reiterated Ukraine’s need for military assistance.Despite this,Zelensky acknowledged the necessity of dialog ”in whatever format” to achieve a ceasefire.
Trump acknowledged the difficulty in negotiations, noting, “They hate each other,” referring to Putin and Zelensky. He also stated, “We hope to end the war before Tomahawks are needed.” He drew parallels to his experience brokering a ceasefire in Gaza,emphasizing the importance of “getting the right table” for negotiations,and believes “we now have a good table” to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.
Trump also revealed he has had “good conversations” with Zelensky and that they are “beginning to understand each other,” a development he believes “really helps.” He also sought bilateral security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States.
