Trump Gives Update On Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, Takes Questions About Putin & Zelensky

Forbes Breaking News

President Trump takes questions about the Russia-Ukraine War at the White House.

Transcript

00:00But we have some other things to announce later on in the day. Peter, please.

00:04Related, just because you mentioned the elusive peace in Ukraine,

00:09who is holding up this Ukraine ceasefire summit?

00:13Is it Putin or is it Zelensky?

00:16Well, I think it's, that one is, as you know, we've been working on a lot of these deals.

00:21We've closed every single one of them all throughout the world, and that's the last of them.

00:26And they're losing, Peter, about 6,000, maybe even 7,000 soldiers every single week.

00:34Russia, as you know, lost almost 25,000 over the last month and a half.

00:38And Ukraine lost just a small number, fewer.

00:44A lot of people are dying.

00:46And I think we're getting very close, and we're going to be announcing later on

00:49we're going to have a meeting with Russia.

00:52We'll start off with Russia, and we'll announce a location.

00:57I think the location will be a very popular one for a lot of reasons.

01:02But we'll be announcing that a little bit later.

01:04I just don't want to do it now because of the importance of what we just did.

01:07And I completely understand that.

01:09Just a follow-up.

01:10Are you surprised that Zelensky hasn't figured out by now, in years of war,

01:15how to deal with you and to deal with Putin without needing permission to make concessions

01:21from his parliament or from a national referendum?

01:24Well, he's going out and getting what he needs.

01:27You know, he's not authorized to do certain things.

01:30I said, well, you're going to have to get it fast because, you know, we're getting very close to a deal.

01:35And he's doing that, and he's working with the European nations, and they're terrific people, terrific leaders.

01:40NATO, and as you know, I became very friendly with them.

01:43They agreed to go from 2 percent to 5 percent, 2 percent that they didn't pay to 5 percent that they've already paid.

01:50It's trillions of dollars.

01:51So, you know, we're working together very closely.

01:54But, no, in all fairness to President Zelensky, he's getting everything he needs to, assuming we get something done.

02:03But I'll be meeting very shortly with President Putin.

02:08It would have been sooner, but I guess there's security arrangements that, unfortunately, people have to make.

02:13Otherwise, I'd do it much quicker.

02:16He would do.

02:17He'd like to meet as soon as possible.

02:19I agree with it.

02:19But we'll be announcing that very shortly.

02:22Okay?

02:22And location.

02:23Yeah, please.

02:25Please.

02:27Mr. President, with this meeting with Putin, is this Russia's last chance to achieve peace?

02:33And do you expect Ukraine to make any type of territorial concession?

02:37Yeah.

02:37I don't like using the term last chance.

02:39Look, it's, you know, look, this is two very, very smart people.

02:44They've been going at it for, and their predecessors are also very smart.

02:48They've been going at it for 35 years.

02:50It's tough.

02:50And, you know, when those guns start going off, it's awfully tough to get them to stop.

02:55It really does.

02:56It's a war that should have never happened.

02:58It would have never happened if I were president.

02:59There was no reason for it.

03:01So many people are killed.

03:02So much cultural destruction.

03:05You look at those magnificent towers, the most beautiful in the world.

03:09You know, the spires were considered the most beautiful in the world.

03:12They're all in a million pieces, laying on the ground, all obliterated, knocked into a million pieces.

03:19So sad.

03:20But millions of people have died and very, very much set in their ways.

03:28A lot of people were set in their ways.

03:30But I think we're getting close.

03:32I mean, this was not my war.

03:34This was Biden's war.

03:35But the European Union has been great.

03:38As you know, they're purchasing equipment from us.

03:40They're spending it.

03:40They have a lot of money.

03:42And they're spending a lot of money on buying equipment.

03:45We're not spending money.

03:46But we are supplying them equipment.

03:48They're paying for it.

03:48And I think, you know, I think that a lot of things happened recently that would make this go forward.

03:56I'm not going to mention anything having to do with India, but maybe that had an impact.

04:01But what really had an impact was NATO has stepped up in terms of their spending on buying military equipment.

04:09You know, we're in for, probably through Biden and his people, $350 billion.

04:15$350 billion, when they hear these numbers, you're saying, that's a lot of money.

04:21$350 billion the United States has spent on that.

04:25It should have spent nothing because it should have never happened.

04:27It would have never happened.

04:28And Europe is in for over $100 billion, which is, it should be the opposite if we were in for anything.

04:36But it should be the opposite.

04:37And I will say that Europe has, Europe wants to see peace.

04:43The European leaders want to see peace.

04:44President Putin, I believe, wants to see peace.

04:48And Zelensky wants to see peace.

04:51Now, President Zelensky has to get all of his, everything he needs because he's going to have to get ready to sign something.

04:59And I think he is working hard to get that done.

05:03Will Zelensky have to give up territory, Mr. President?

05:05Well, you're looking at territory that's been fought over for three and a half years with, you know, a lot of Russians have died.

05:13A lot of Ukrainians have died.

05:14So we're looking at that.

05:16But we're actually looking to get some back and some swapping.

05:21It's complicated.

05:22It's actually nothing easy.

05:24It's very complicated.

05:25But we're going to get some back.

05:27We're going to get some switched.

05:31There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.

05:35But we'll be talking about that either later or tomorrow or whatever.

05:40Yeah.

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