US President Donald Trump said he spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said this in an exclusive interview with The New York Post aboard Air Force One. He noted that "he wants people to stop dying," which he believes shows Putin's interest in reducing the bloodshed.
President Trump also stressed that the three-year war "would never have happened" if he were president in 2022, adding: "I've always had a good relationship with Putin," and when asked how many times he had spoken to the Russian leader, he replied: "I'd rather not say."
The US president confirmed that he has a concrete plan to end the war, saying: "I hope it happens quickly. People are dying every day. This war in Ukraine is so bad. I want to end this damn thing." He also added: "Let's start these meetings. They want to meet. People are dying every day. Young, beautiful soldiers are dying. Young men like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield."
According to Reuters, Trump said he would likely meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week to discuss mutual terms of cooperation. In response, Zelenskyy said in his interview with Reuters that he wanted to meet with Trump before he met with the Russian president because "otherwise it will look like a dialogue about Ukraine without Ukraine."
Zelenskyy also spoke about his willingness to negotiate a deal with Trump on rare earths and other minerals in exchange for financial assistance:
"If we're talking about a deal, then let's agree, we're only for that," Zelensky told Reuters.
Thus, Trump's statements indicate the US administration's attempts to arrange negotiations to end the hostilities, while Zelensky's responses emphasize the importance of Ukraine's participation in these dialogues and the need to achieve a mutually beneficial partnership.
As previously reported by Vilni Media: Ukraine is ready to cooperate with the United States to share strategic resources.
Author: Danylo Pievchev