President Trump recently mentioned that he opted not to call Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to a meeting with European leaders the previous day to avoid what he perceived as disrespectful. He told Fox News, “I didn’t do it in front of them. I thought it was rude to President Putin. They didn’t have the warmest relationship, so I wouldn’t do it.” Furthermore, he noted that Putin didn’t engage with European leaders, implying that this was part of the underlying issue.
During an interview, Trump informed the European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that he planned to step into another room to call Putin. The gathering featured leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Trump had expressed a desire to reach out to Putin as his team worked towards a peace agreement for Ukraine. He stated during a meeting in the Oval Office with Zelensky that he intended to call Putin later that day. He is also looking to facilitate a meeting between Zelensky and Putin and aims to coordinate discussions with all three parties later.
“I think I knew,” Trump shared. “At the end of the meeting, both President Putin and President Zelensky were hoping for it. He was there. By the time I called, it was 1 a.m. in Russia.” He described Putin’s response as positive, noting, “He picked it up with great happiness. Certainly, he works very hard like all of us. We had a productive call and discussed setting up a meeting with President Zelensky.”
Trump emphasized the importance of flexibility for Ukrainian leaders, encouraging Zelensky to remain adaptable to help reach a resolution. “In this case, it takes two people. They need to build some degree of relationship. Otherwise, we’re just wasting time. I want to finish this,” he added.
He concluded by expressing hope regarding Putin’s intentions: “If not, it will be a rough situation. I hope President Zelensky does what he needs to. He has to show flexibility.”
