U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the possibility of negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He made the statement during a conversation with journalists on August 22.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Trump on the prospects of negotiations
According to the American leader, the likelihood of his personal participation in the meeting of the leaders depends on whether Putin and Zelensky can effectively cooperate with each other. Trump noted that there are significant differences between them that complicate dialogue.
“They are a bit like oil and vinegar; they don’t get along for obvious reasons. We’ll see if I need to be there. I wouldn’t want that; I would prefer that they meet and see what they can do,” Trump said.
At the same time, the U.S. president emphasized that the parties continue their armed confrontation, which leads to casualties among the population, and called such a situation “very unreasonable.”
Possible formats for negotiations
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky announced two possible formats for negotiations that could help end the war: a bilateral one between Ukraine and Russia, and a trilateral one involving the U.S. The Ukrainian president reminded that these options were discussed during meetings in Washington and in Donald Trump’s conversations with Putin.
After consultations with Zelensky and European politicians on August 18, Donald Trump expressed intentions to organize a high-level meeting between Ukraine and Russia. He also did not rule out the possibility of holding a trilateral summit involving the U.S. in the future.
The Kremlin has not yet confirmed plans for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin, stating that Moscow is only considering the possibility of raising the level of representation in negotiations with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia does not reject any format of peace negotiations regarding the resolution of the conflict, including bilateral and trilateral meetings.