President Donald Trump offered a blunt assessment of why Russian leader Vladimir Putin remains reluctant to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling journalists at a press conference that Putin simply “doesn’t like him.”

The president’s remarks came during questions about the ongoing diplomatic impasse between Moscow and Kyiv. When pressed by reporters on Putin’s unwillingness to engage directly with the Ukrainian leader, Trump delivered his direct response.

Trump also disclosed details of his recent conversations with the Kremlin leader, revealing discussions that ranged across nuclear weapons policy and arms control measures. “Missiles, nuclear – we’re talking about a lot of different things. We’re talking about limiting nuclear weapons, we’ll get China into that,” Trump said, according to the press conference.

The president outlined the current nuclear weapons hierarchy, stating that “we have the most, Russia has the second most, and China has third, but China is way behind.” However, he warned that Beijing’s nuclear capabilities could expand rapidly, predicting that “they’ll catch us in five years.”

Trump’s comments on Putin and Zelenskyy came alongside criticism of his predecessor’s Ukraine policy. The president previously criticized Joe Biden for restricting Ukraine’s ability to conduct strikes against Russian territory, arguing that such limitations “took away Kyiv’s chance of winning the war.”

The president’s diplomatic discussions with Putin appear to encompass broader strategic concerns beyond the immediate Ukraine conflict, with nuclear arms control emerging as a central theme in their exchanges.