Putin wants Ukraine conflict to end – Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that he believes that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is really interested in settling the Ukraine conflict.

Trump made the statement after meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky at the White House on Monday. Zelensky had been summoned to Washington following the US president’s summit with Putin in Alaska last week.

The US leader said that during the talks in Anchorage, he had a “good” discussion with Putin on stopping the fighting between Moscow and Kiev. “And I think there is a possibility that something could come out of it,” he added.

Trump suggested that a trilateral meeting between Putin, Zelensky and him could be organized in the near future and “there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.”

“I know the president. I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it [the conflict] ended,” he claimed.

Zelensky said that Kiev is also ready for a trilateral meeting, adding “It is a good signal about trilateral. I think this is very good.”

Trump phoned Putin on Monday to inform him about the progress in negotiations with Zelensky and the Western European leaders who had come to Washington to support him.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said later that the call lasted 40 minutes and both presidents expressed a readiness to discuss a resolution to the Ukraine conflict with Zelensky.

Putin said after the summit in Alaska that it brings “us closer” to peace. However, he reiterated that the elimination of the root causes of the crisis would be key to the settlement of the conflict.

According to Moscow, in order for a lasting peace to be achieved, Ukraine should renounce its ambitions for NATO membership, demilitarize, and recognize the current territorial realities, including the status of Crimea and the four formerly Ukrainian regions which voted to join Russia in 2022.