Donald Trump Calls Out Putin, Suggests Unexpected Solutions Amidst Ongoing Ukraine-Russia Conflict
Trump and Zelenskyy attend the funeral of Pope Francis in a prospective significant encounter
In an unexpected twist of events, US President Donald Trump has not only urged Ukraine and Russia to urgently negotiate a ceasefire but has also suggested an unconventional approach to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump disclosed that he believes Putin might not be eager to end the conflict and may only be "tapping him along." In Trump's opinion, Putin may need to be approached differently, using secondary sanctions or "banking" methods.
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy took place in Rome on Saturday, prior to Pope Francis' funeral. The conversation between the two leaders was described as "very productive" by the White House Communications Director, Steven Cheung. Although the specifics of their discussion remain undisclosed, Zelenskyy expressed hope that their meeting would lead to tangible results. In a Twitter post, Zelenskyy shared that the conversation primarily focused on the protection of civilians and establishing a reliable and lasting peace to prevent further warfare.
Although Trump has previously advocated for Ukraine and Russia to seal an immediate peace deal, he has now criticized Putin for launching missile attacks on civilian areas, cities, and towns during the past few days. In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that there was no reason for such attacks and that Putin might be maintaining the conflict simply to engage with Trump, rather than seeking a peaceful resolution.
Meanwhile, during the historic meeting, photos showed Zelenskyy and Trump engaged in an eye-to-eye conversation inside St Peter's Basilica. The impromptu, direct discussion stood in sharp contrast to the public exchanges between the two leaders in recent days. Earlier, upon arriving in Rome, Trump called for "very high-level talks" between Ukraine and Russia to put an end to the four-year war.
Previous attempts to resolve the conflict have been made, including a meeting between Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump claimed both sides were close to a deal following the meeting.
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- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Donald Trump
- In a surprising development, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump held a private meeting in Rome, where Trump suggested secondary sanctions and banking methods to approach Russian President Vladimir Putin differently.
- Trump, during the meeting, expressed his opinion that Putin might not be sincere about ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict and may only be "tapping" Zelenskyy along.
- Although Trump has previously advocated for peace between Ukraine and Russia, he has now criticized Putin for launching missile attacks on civilian areas, suggesting that Putin might be maintaining the conflict to engage with Trump.
- Meanwhile, the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump, which was described as "very productive" by the White House, focused primarily on the protection of civilians and establishing a reliable and lasting peace to prevent further warfare.
- Previous attempts to resolve the conflict have been made, including a meeting between Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin, where both sides were reportedly close to a deal.
