Trump Calls for Zelensky to Negotiate, Urges Europe to End Russian Oil Reliance
US President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will need to reach an agreement to resolve the conflict with Russia. He made the remarks ahead of a trip to the United Kingdom.
“Zelenskyy will have to make a deal.And Europe needs to stop buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters.
The President highlighted a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir putin in Alaska, claiming it yielded “a lot” of progress, but stressed the need for reciprocal effort, stating, “two are needed for tango.” He further suggested his personal involvement in future negotiations between Zelenskyy and Putin,citing a deep animosity between the two leaders that prevents them from being in the same room.
“It is more challenging to achieve a settlement than I hoped, because there is great hatred between Putin and Zelenskyy. but we will stop it,” Trump affirmed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated a potential meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy next week during the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Rubio noted the President has engaged in numerous conversations with Putin and meetings with Zelenskyy, but remains committed to ending the conflict. He cautioned, however, that Trump may ultimately determine a resolution is unattainable.
“At some point, the president can conclude that this is impractical. He has not yet reached this point,but this may happen,” Rubio warned.
Kyiv has not yet responded to the possibility of a US-Ukraine presidential meeting. In a recent interview with Sky News, Zelenskyy urged Trump to adopt a firm stance on sanctions against Russia and security assurances for Ukraine, and proposed a trilateral summit involving the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States as a path to resolution.
The kremlin, however, stated that a three-way summit is not currently planned. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s interest in a political and diplomatic solution, but accused Kyiv of obstructing the process.
