Ankara, Turkey: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had spoken separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and hoped the war in Ukraine would be settled soon, according to Reuters.
Trump made the remarks during a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, saying he had a “very good talk” with Putin before speaking to Zelenskiy immediately afterward.
“We had a long talk, it lasted a long time. And I also spoke with President Zelenskiy right after that. I think they both want to make a deal. … I think we’re going to get it settled, hopefully soon,” Trump said.
Zelenskiy and Trump are expected to meet at the NATO summit on Wednesday after months of stepped-up Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy sector and a wave of Russian strikes that killed 50 people in Ukraine’s capital in July alone.
Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that he intends to use the talks to press Ukraine’s urgent need for air defence systems to shield against Russia’s deadly ballistic strikes.
