During the summit, Trump held a 50-minute meeting with Zelensky. According to Zelensky, the talks were "substantive" and focused on a ceasefire, prospects for peace, and the possibility of U.S. investment in Ukraine's defense. However, at a press conference following the summit, Trump clarified that he did not directly discuss the issue of a ceasefire with Zelensky.
Trump made this statement at a press conference following the NATO summit in The Hague.
During the conference, Trump said that the war in Ukraine had demonstrated the importance of rebuilding the defense industrial base in the United States and its allies. He also mentioned the agreement with Ukraine regarding mineral resources.
"We cannot depend on foreign adversaries for critical minerals. As you know, we have reached an agreement with Ukraine on a significant portion of its territory — we need it," Trump said.
Trump also said that he does not rule out providing Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems. He said that the US has already transferred some of these systems to Israel and must now assess the possibility of delivering them to Ukraine.
"You know, they are very difficult to obtain. We need them, too, because we transferred some to Israel. We have to see if we can provide them to Ukraine. I want to transfer them," he said.
Trump also noted that he did not discuss the issue of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine with the President of Ukraine.
"I just wanted to know how he was doing." He was actually very nice. You know, we've had some tough times. I think he wants this war to end. I’m going to talk to Vladimir Putin. We’ll see if we can end it,” he said at a press conference.
He added that his comment about ending the war in Ukraine in 24 hours was sarcastic.
"Putin is a difficult person. I also had problems with Zelensky. This is the most difficult war,” the US president added.
Trump also suggested that Putin may have territorial ambitions regarding not only Ukraine but also other countries. At the same time, Trump reiterated the claim that Putin wants to end the war. "I think he is a confused person."
"I know one thing: he wants to make a deal. He wants to get out of this situation because it's chaotic for him. He recently called me and asked, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I replied, 'No, help me with Russia,' because in the last few weeks, we've resolved conflicts between India and Pakistan, Kosovo and Serbia. We resolved two more conflicts. I believe this person has simply been led astray. To be honest, I am very surprised. I was confident that we would easily reach an agreement," Trump added.
Prepared by: Inna Mikhno