Trump Softens on Zelenskyy, Hardens on Putin After NATO Summit Meeting
Donald Trump described Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “very nice” after a sideline meeting at the NATO summit, signaling a shift in tone toward Kyiv while expressing growing frustration with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, The Gaze reports, citing The Financial Times.
During his post-summit comments, Trump struck a more sympathetic tone toward Ukraine’s leader: “No, no, I wanted to know how he’s doing. He was very nice, actually,” he said. “He’s fighting a tough battle. It’s a tough battle.”
The US president, who has oscillated in his attitudes toward both leaders, added: “What I took from the meeting — couldn’t have been nicer actually — but I took from the meeting that he’d like to see it end. I think it’s a great time to end it. I’m going to speak to Vladimir Putin and see if we can get it ended.”
Trump also acknowledged the severity of the ongoing conflict: “Vladimir Putin really has to end that war. People are dying at levels that people haven’t seen before for a long time.” He shared that when Putin offered to mediate in the Iran-Israel conflict, he responded: “No, you can help me with Russia.”
Zelenskyy characterized their nearly hour-long discussion as “long and substantive,” stating they covered “all the truly important issues,” including “how to protect our people” and “how to achieve a ceasefire and a real peace.” Trump, however, disputed that a ceasefire was directly discussed.
In response to Ukraine’s dwindling US-supplied weaponry, Zelenskyy has asked for more military support, including Patriot air defence systems. Trump confirmed Washington is “looking into” providing more but cited competing needs from Israel and the US itself.
He also highlighted the broader geopolitical impact: “The Ukraine crisis has also highlighted the urgency of rebuilding our defence industrial base” and warned that the West “cannot afford to be dependent on foreign adversaries for critical minerals.”
A month ago, Kyiv and Washington signed a critical minerals agreement, salvaging a deal that fell through in February after a tense Oval Office confrontation between the two leaders, which temporarily froze US aid.
As The Gaze previously reported, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a high-stakes meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.