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US President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to continue peace talks amid the war in Europe, which is now in its fourth year.
Speaking to reporters following his bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy on Sunday (local time) at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump said the trilateral meeting could take place "at the right time" in order to broker peace in the war. "I see that happening, sure, at the right time. I saw a very interesting President Putin today. He wants to see it happen. He wants to see it. He told me very strongly. I believe him... I was on the phone with him for almost 2.5 hours... We discussed a lot of things," the US President said when asked about the prospect of such a three-way summit. Trump's remarks come during his joint press conference following his scheduled meeting with Zelenskyy in Florida, where the two leaders discussed the proposed 20-point peace framework, security guarantees, and potential territorial compromises to end the conflict. Prior to meeting with the Ukrainian President, Trump also had a long telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart, noting that it was "good and very productive". "I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. The Kremlin also described the call positively. Meanwhile, during his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump, known for setting deadlines on most issues, said he has no deadline for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal this time as he welcomed the Ukrainian President. Speaking to reporters outside the resort, when asked whether he had set any deadline for ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump made it clear that he has no deadline for a peace deal this time. "I don't have deadlines. You know what my deadline is: getting the war ended," Trump said. He also stated that a peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war is also getting "very close", noting that significant progress had been made as discussions continue. "We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin. It lasted for over two hours. We discussed a lot of points. I do think we're getting a lot closer, maybe very close. The President and I just spoke to the European leaders... We have made a lot of progress on ending that war, which is probably the deadliest war since World War II..." Trump said. (ANI)
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