President Donald Trump described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “calmer” and more willing to reach a peace agreement following their brief meeting at the Vatican on 26 April.
“I see him as calmer. I think he understands the picture. And I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump said of Zelenskyy after their 15-minute conversation, according to CNN and Sky News.
Trump called the meeting “beautiful” and revealed that Zelenskyy requested additional weapons during their discussion. The two leaders also briefly addressed the contentious issue of Crimea, which would be recognized as Russian territory under an American peace proposal that Zelenskyy has rejected earlier.
When questioned about Crimea, Trump deflected responsibility, stating: “Don’t talk to me about Crimea, talk to Obama and Biden about Crimea.” He referenced the fact that Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014 during Barack Obama’s presidency.
Trump suggested that Zelenskyy might be prepared to concede Crimea, saying “we’ll see what happens in the next few days,” though the Ukrainian president has previously rejected any legal recognition of Russian control over the territory.
Addressing his relationship with Zelenskyy, Trump dismissed suggestions of previous tensions, describing their televised dispute in February as merely “a small obstacle.”
After the 15-minute meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump called directly on Russian President Vladimir Putin to demonstrate commitment to ending the war.
“I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal,” Trump said of Putin. “We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it and be done with it and just go back to life.”
After the meeting, Trump criticized Russia’s recent attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine, questioning whether Putin genuinely wants to end the war or might be misleading him about his intentions.
The White House described the Zelenskyy-Trump meeting as “productive.” Zelenskyy himself suggested the encounter “has the potential to become historic, if we achieve common results.”
According to Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz, the president wanted a face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy to advance peace negotiations regarding Ukraine.
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