US President Donald Trump has mentioned he is able to maintain one other summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, however solely when Moscow is ready to work in the direction of a “peace deal” to finish the continued battle in Ukraine.
Responding to a query on whether or not Putin would agree to a different summit within the close to future, Trump on Wednesday (native time) mentioned that he believed the Russian chief can be prepared to satisfy however pressured that he wished the assembly to happen on the proper time.
“He’d do it. I need it, however I wish to do it after we’re able to do a peace deal,” Trump mentioned to reporters on the Oval Workplace.
Trump mentioned he wished america to keep up good relations with each Russia and Ukraine, arguing that improved ties would even be useful for enterprise.
“We wish to have good relationship with Russia, Ukraine, with everyone. Be nice for enterprise,” he mentioned.
The US President additional acknowledged that one other assembly with Putin may doubtlessly be organized instantly, however he most popular to attend till the battle was nearing an finish.
“I wish to do it when that battle is ending, and I feel we are going to,” Trump mentioned.
Talking on the current developments of the Russia-Ukraine battle, Trump reiterated his view that the battle “ought to have by no means occurred”, noting that if he had been elected again to workplace within the 2020 US presidential election, the battle wouldn’t have occurred.
He mentioned that in his first presidency, from 2016 to 2020, he had spoken with Putin and believed there was “zero probability” of the battle occurring at the moment.
“It is a battle that ought to have by no means occurred. If the election weren’t rigged in 2020, that battle would have by no means occurred. And it did not occur for 4 years. I used to be there 2016 to 2020, and I’d speak to Putin; it might have by no means occurred. Zero probability. And after I left, I noticed what was occurring and I mentioned, ‘I feel these guys are going to go to battle.’ I assumed it was loopy; it would not have occurred,” Trump mentioned.
“There’s great animosity between the 2 presidents, great animosity. However I feel it will be fairly shut; it will be time,” he added, referring to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The final time Trump and Putin met to discover a possible finish to the Russia-Ukraine battle was in Alaska in August 2025. It marked the primary direct face-to-face assembly between US and Russian leaders since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Alaska summit ended with no signed settlement or ceasefire, though each side mentioned progress had been made.
Trump mentioned the 2 sides had agreed on “many factors”, whereas Putin mentioned that they had reached a mutual understanding on key safety considerations.
Trump has now indicated that he needs any future summit with Putin to be held with the prospect of a peace settlement in sight, slightly than merely for one more high-level assembly.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
