'Putin wouldn’t talk to people from Europe': Trump reveals why he avoided calling Putin in front of world leaders
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Putin wouldn’t talk to people from Europe': Trump reveals why he avoided calling Putin in front of world leaders")
US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin Photograph: (Reuters)
President Trump said he avoided calling President Putin in front of European leaders at the White House, calling it “disrespectful,” and claimed Putin wouldn’t speak with them due to strained relations.
US President Donald Trump has said he chose not to call Russian President Vladimir Putin in front of European leaders at the White House because he felt it would be “disrespectful.” “I didn’t do it in front of them, I thought that would be disrespectful to President Putin. I wouldn’t do that, because they have not had the warmest relations,” Trump told Fox News on Tuesday. He added, “And actually, President Putin wouldn’t talk to the people from Europe. I mean, that was part of the problem.”
Which leaders were present at the White House?
The White House meeting included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump said he told them he would step into another room to call Putin, explaining that the Russian leader had not been willing to engage directly with the Europeans.
What did Trump say about his call with Putin?
Trump confirmed he later spoke to Putin, describing the conversation as “very good.” “I think I sort of knew, I was, at the end of the meeting, I was going to call President Putin, and President Putin expected it, and he was there. Now, by the time I called him, it was 1 o’clock in the morning in Russia,” Trump said.
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“But he … picked it up very happily. Sure, he works very hard, like we all do. And, we had a very good call, and I told him that we’re going to set up a meeting with President Zelensky, and you and he will meet. And then after that meeting, if everything works out OK, I’ll meet and we’ll wrap it up,” he added.
What is Trump pushing for in Ukraine?
Trump stressed that any deal to end the war must involve Zelensky directly. “But you know, it takes, in this case, two to tango. They have to have somewhat of a relationship. Otherwise, we’re just wasting a lot of time. I don’t want to be doing that. I just want to end it,” Trump said. He added, “I hope President Putin is going to be good. If he’s not, that’s going to be a rough situation. And I hope Zelensky, President Zelensky, will do what he has to do. He has to show some flexibility also. The thing is a mess.”
