Donald Trump, the President of the United States, expressed on the 16th (local time) that he believes he may “very soon” meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the conflict in Ukraine.
President Trump made this statement after attending the Daytona 500 event in Florida, where he met with reporters at Palm Beach International Airport. According to reports from Reuters and others, Trump mentioned that both President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky want to cease the fighting.
When asked about a specific timing, such as the end of the month, Trump said he thinks it will be soon and withheld further comments, stating, “Let’s see what happens.”
President Trump also highlighted that President Putin seemingly wants to stop the fighting, stating, “We had a long and tough call.”
When asked if President Zelensky would be involved in the discussions for ending the conflict, Trump replied, “He will be involved.” Regarding a question about President Zelensky warning about the possibility of a Russian invasion of NATO member countries, Trump said, “Not at all.”
Previously, on the 12th, President Trump had announced that he had a phone call with President Putin and agreed to start negotiations for ending the conflict immediately.