President Trump says he won't bother meeting with Russian President Putin unless there's a realistic chance of securing a peace agreement in Ukraine.
Trump made the statement on Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, saying that he wouldn't waste his time meeting with Putin if a deal can't be reached soon. He expressed frustration with the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for months, and said that he thought it would have been resolved long before any peace talks began.
The president also referenced his own recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, where Trump denied Ukraine's request for Tomahawk missiles. He seemed to downplay their discussion, saying "we're going to be talking about fentanyl" in a meeting next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Despite announcing sanctions against Russia earlier this week, Trump's stance on meeting with Putin remains unchanged. The two leaders last met in Alaska in August, but no agreement was reached following the summit.
Trump acknowledged that there is a lot of animosity between Zelenskyy and Putin, describing their relationship as "tremendous hatred." He credited himself for being able to broker peace agreements elsewhere, such as with Azerbaijan and Armenia, which he said were more difficult than resolving the Ukraine conflict.
For Trump, meeting with Putin's worth it if there's a chance of securing a concrete deal. He plans to push for a comprehensive trade agreement during his upcoming talks with Xi Jinping.
Trump made the statement on Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, saying that he wouldn't waste his time meeting with Putin if a deal can't be reached soon. He expressed frustration with the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for months, and said that he thought it would have been resolved long before any peace talks began.
The president also referenced his own recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, where Trump denied Ukraine's request for Tomahawk missiles. He seemed to downplay their discussion, saying "we're going to be talking about fentanyl" in a meeting next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Despite announcing sanctions against Russia earlier this week, Trump's stance on meeting with Putin remains unchanged. The two leaders last met in Alaska in August, but no agreement was reached following the summit.
Trump acknowledged that there is a lot of animosity between Zelenskyy and Putin, describing their relationship as "tremendous hatred." He credited himself for being able to broker peace agreements elsewhere, such as with Azerbaijan and Armenia, which he said were more difficult than resolving the Ukraine conflict.
For Trump, meeting with Putin's worth it if there's a chance of securing a concrete deal. He plans to push for a comprehensive trade agreement during his upcoming talks with Xi Jinping.
. i mean, zelenskyy seems pretty frustrated too, especially after being denied those tomahawk missiles. it's all very complicated 
. and what's with trump trying to downplay his own meeting with zelenskyy? that doesn't seem like the most diplomatic approach 
. but hey, at least he's still pushing for a trade agreement with china... fingers crossed that's gonna help 
. The war has been ongoing for months and innocent lives are being lost every day. Meanwhile, Trump is more focused on making deals with other leaders and downplaying the significance of his talks with Zelenskyy. It's almost like he's trying to outmaneuver everyone else in the process 
. I wonder if he's really willing to take a stand for Ukraine or is he just playing politics as usual 
. One thing's for sure, Putin won't be easy to negotiate with, and Trump needs to be prepared for some tough conversations 
.
! he's still trying to negotiate with putin despite all the animosity and bloodshed going on in that country? it's just not right, you know? 
ukrainians deserve better than some empty promises from putin or trump. and btw, what's up with him downplaying his meeting with zelenskyy? like, come on man! 
. I think Trump has a point tho - ain't no point meetin' w/ Putin if nothin's gonna happen 
. I mean, he brought up how Zelenskyy asked for them Tomahawk missiles and Trump just played it cool... not sure if that's a good idea though 
. Problem is, we can't have him bringin' up all that hatred between Zelenskyy and Putin during those talks... gotta keep it real, you feel? 
... or just doesn't care about Ukraine 
. Can't believe he's still holding onto that meeting thing, though 
. I guess if there's cake involved, he'll show up 
.
But still can't help thinking that Trump's a genius when it comes to finding common ground with other nations... Azerbaijan and Armenia? That's some serious diplomatic magic 
He might be right about meeting with Putin if there's a chance of a peace deal 
its not like he's the one started the war or anything. those sanctions are gonna hurt alot of ppl, including innocent civilians. maybe instead of trashin him, we should focus on findin a real solution to this conflict 
i mean, azerbaidjan and armenia were pretty rough too, but somehow trump made it work with putin... can't deny that 
. And what's up with this "tremendous hatred" comment about Zelenskyy and Putin? So unprofessional 
... I guess when you're trying to broker peace agreements on the world stage, some things are better left unsaid.
It doesn't seem like things have really changed since then.
. It's been going on for months and I just can't imagine how scary it must be for everyone involved, especially the civilians. Trump seems to care though, but it's hard to see if he really is serious about finding a peace agreement or not 
.
. The fact that he thinks it'd be easy peasy for a deal in Azerbaijan & Armenia just shows how confident he is 
but honestly its hard to believe when u see him deny ukranian requests like that...i feel bad for zelenskyy tho, been thru so much already