‘Maybe Zelensky will say no’: Trump advises Ukraine to ‘make a deal’ after Alaska talks with Putin
‘Make a deal’: Trump advises Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Putin, but casts doubt if...
After around three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump advised Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to "make a deal" to end the war.
He told Fox News in an interview following the Alaska Summit on Friday, “I think we are pretty close to a deal. Now look, Ukraine has to agree, and maybe they will say no because Biden handed out money like it was candy and Europe gave them a lot of money."
When asked about his advice to Zelensky, Trump said: "Gotta make a deal. Yeah. Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not. They're great soldiers."
Trump said his talks with Putin in Alaska were “extensive.”
“We were together almost three hours, and it was very extensive... a lot of points we agreed on... Now, it's really up to President Zelensky to get it done... and if they'd like, I'll be at that next meeting,” Trump said in the interview.
The US President said a lot of points were negotiated on behalf of Ukraine during his "historic" meeting with Putin. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no deal until there's a deal, but we did make a lot of progress," he added.
“We had a very good meeting today but we'll see — you have to get a deal. We agreed on a lot of points. I want to see people stop dying in Ukraine... If we can end that war it would be very good,” Trump said.
No deal in Trump-Putin Alaska talks
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday made no breakthrough on Ukraine at their high-stakes summit, pointing to areas of agreement and rekindling a friendship but offering no news on a ceasefire.
The friendly reception was a stark contrast to Trump's berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met him at the White House in February.
During a joint press conference with Putin after talks, Trump said he would now consult Zelensky as well as NATO leaders, who have voiced unease about the US leader's outreach to Putin.
"Now it's really up to President Zelensky to get it done," Trump said in Fox News interview after the summit.
Meanwhile, Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to "not create any obstacles" and not "make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues."
The Russian President said, “We are sincerely interested to end conflict. But all root causes must be eliminated, and all of Russia's concerns must be taken into account.”