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U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington.
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy took place at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The two leaders shook hands and then proceeded inside.
Speaking to reporters, President Trump said he wanted to discuss his two-hour conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the meeting with Zelenskyy. According to the U.S. leader, Putin wants to end the war.
“I think Putin wants to end the war. I spoke with him yesterday [October 16] for two hours. We discussed many details — he wants to end it. Zelenskyy wants to end it. We need to make it happen,” he emphasized.
Trump noted that the upcoming U.S.–Russia meeting in Hungary would be bilateral, but he promised to stay in touch with Zelenskyy.
“These two leaders don’t like each other. We want to make [this meeting] comfortable for all sides,” the U.S. president explained.
He said Hungary was chosen as the venue because it is a “safe country” and also because he likes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whom Trump called “a very good leader in terms of how he runs things.”
When asked about providing Ukraine with long-range missiles, Trump said he would discuss the issue with the Ukrainian president, though he added that such a move would be “an escalation.” He also complimented Zelenskyy on his “very stylish jacket.”
President Zelenskyy expressed confidence that the Russia–Ukraine war could be ended with Trump’s help and noted that Russia “has not achieved significant success on the front line.”
“Trump has a great chance to end the war. (…) He has shown how he can broker a ceasefire in the Middle East. I hope he can do the same here. This is a great opportunity for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said when asked what he saw as the difference between Trump’s and former President Joe Biden’s approaches to resolving the war.
“I am ready to talk with Putin in any format — bilateral, trilateral, it doesn’t matter,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, securing bilateral security guarantees from the United States is “the most important document, because the U.S. is very strong.”
Zelenskyy proposed to Donald Trump an exchange of drones for other American weapons.
In turn, Trump said he is interested in Ukrainian drones:
“They make very good drones.”
Other statements:
- The U.S. president said that he and Zelenskyy would discuss his conversation with Putin from the previous day.
- Trump stated that the upcoming meeting with Putin in Hungary would most likely be bilateral, but he would maintain communication with Zelenskyy.
- The American president also said that the United States is interested in Ukrainian drones and would like to purchase them.
- India will no longer buy Russian oil, — Trump said. According to him, India has reduced its purchases and has almost completely stopped buying it.
Read also: Trump says he intends to end the war during meeting with Zelenskyy
