U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed confidence in reaching a deal and is planning talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds no strong cards to gain leverage in negotiations.
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In an interview with Fox News, Trump emphasized the need for a face-to-face meeting with President Putin, expressing optimism that such a meeting would take place to forge a deal over the Ukraine crisis.
“It’s important to plan everything,” Trump said. “I believe we’ll reach an agreement. We need to meet, and maybe we’ll start planning that.”
When asked about President Putin’s absence from the Turkey negotiations and whether it could hinder peace efforts, Trump replied: “The Russian leadership is fully involved in the negotiations over the Ukrainian settlement. President Putin is at the negotiating table — he’s the one who pushed for this meeting.”
Commenting on Zelensky’s position in the talks, Trump remarked: “I’ve always said he doesn’t have a strong hand — frankly, he has no real leverage or strong arguments to gain anything in the negotiations.” He also mentioned that he had difficulties dealing with Zelensky during his own presidency.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Trump is planning to hold talks with the Russian side within the coming hours or days, aiming to discuss the outcomes of the Istanbul negotiations and help push the process forward.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that only a personal meeting between the Russian and American leaders could allow meaningful progress toward resolving the Ukraine crisis.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also stressed the necessity of a direct meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States — both from the perspective of bilateral relations and for serious, high-level discussions on global affairs and regional challenges, including the Ukraine conflict. (Source: RT)
