After talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul (Turkey), the US President Donald Trump did not want to call Putin an obstacle to establishing peace with Ukraine during an interview with Fox News.
His words are reported by CNN.
"He (Putin) is at the negotiating table, and he wanted this meeting. But I always believed that without me the meeting would not make sense, because, in my opinion, the deal would not happen without me," the US president said.
Trump said again that they should meet with Putin and that they would schedule it soon. He said he was “tired of other people going and negotiating for me”.
"I think Putin is tired of all this. He doesnʼt look very good, but he wants to look better. Donʼt forget: this was all supposed to be over in a week," Trump added.
At the same time, the US president recalled his "difficult conversation with Zelensky" [presumably, he was referring to their meeting in the Oval Office] and repeated his usual complaints about American financial assistance to Ukraine.
"Listen, I had a very difficult conversation with Zelensky because I didnʼt like what he said, and he didnʼt make things easier. Iʼve always said that he doesnʼt have strong positions — and he really doesnʼt have strong positions, to be honest. He doesnʼt have any trump cards," Trump said.
Trump once again did not speak clearly and specifically about additional sanctions against Russia — he had previously spoken about such a possibility, but has not done so yet, and is trying to avoid this issue at various briefings.
In an interview with Fox News, he said he was considering the possibility of secondary sanctions.
"Iʼve always had that option. And Iʼll use it if I have to. But I wouldnʼt want to do it. This is serious, by the way. I just put them on Venezuela," Trump said.
- On May 16, the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 were held in Istanbul. The meeting lasted a little over an hour and, according to media reports, did not produce significant results. According to journalists, Russia demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from a number of territories to ensure a ceasefire and threatened to occupy the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
- Zelensky, along with the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, and Poland, held a conversation with Trump. They discussed the meetings in Istanbul — in addition to the fact that the Ukrainian delegation held talks with the Russians there, Ukraine also met with representatives of Turkey and the United States. The details of the leadersʼ conversation are unknown.
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