Donald Trump has been caught on a hot mic boasting that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the Ukraine war for him, even as Moscow continued bombing the country on Monday.
Speaking ahead of an unprecedented meeting at the White House, Trump could be heard telling European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron: “I think he wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand? As crazy as that sounds.”
The comments come after the president’s summit with Putin in Alaska on Friday, which resulted in Trump not achieving the ceasefire he had planned, or acting on any of the “severe” sanctions he threatened against Russia if it didn’t agree to a clear path to peace.
Instead, Putin made clear that there will be no deal unless Ukraine gives up Crimea and surrenders parts of the Donbas region to him, as well as abandoning its longstanding aspirations to join NATO.
On Monday, Russia also attacked major Ukrainian cities, killing at least 10 people, including an entire family with a toddler and her 16-year-old brother, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Nonetheless, Trump set an optimistic tone as he met the Ukrainian president to discuss a path forward. Also at the White House were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm.
“I don’t think there’s any issue that’s overly complex,” Trump told reporters in the East Room where the group had convened.
“It’s at a point now where people want to do things. I’ve known (Putin) for a long time; I’ve always had a great relationship with him, and I think that President Putin wants to find an answer too.”
The meeting was the first time Zelensky had been in the Oval Office since February, when he was berated by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance and told he had “no cards” to play against Russia.
This time, however, the Ukrainian president was backed by the European leaders who travelled to Washington at short notice in an extraordinary show of support for his country as it continues to fight for its sovereignty.
Both sides said they were hopeful today’s session could lead to trilateral talks with Putin to bring an end to the war.
Sitting at a table with Trump, Merz, Macron, and von der Leyen pressed for a cease-fire to be on the agenda if a trilateral meeting takes place.
Trump also expressed a willingness for the U.S. to be involved in helping Europe provide security guarantees to help Ukraine deter Russian aggression if a cease-fire is reached.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump said, adding that European countries would be involved.
“They are a first line of defense because they’re there, but we’ll help them out.”
The president also did not rule out American troops being used to enforce a future peace deal, if indeed one is reached.
“We’re going to work with Ukraine. We’re going to work with everybody, and we’re going to make sure that if there’s peace, the peace is going to stay long-term,” he said.
