Trump continued to push for a trilateral meeting between himself, Zelenskyy and Putin — something he had hoped to set up immediately following his summit with Putin on Friday but was unsuccessful.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is “ready” for a trilateral discussion.
“I think it’s going to be when,” Trump said, “not if.”
Later Monday, Trump posted on social media that he began planning for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, after which he said a trilateral meeting could take place.
“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump wrote in the post. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
Trump spoke with with Putin after meetings. Trump said he would call Putin after his meetings Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House.
“He’s expecting my call when we’re finished with this meeting,” Trump said while he sat with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
During a “Fox & Friends” interview on Tuesday morning, Trump said he stepped away from his meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders to speak with Putin. Trump said it was 1 a.m. in Russia when he and Putin spoke.
“I told them that we’re going to set up a meeting with President Zelenskyy, and you and he will meet, and then after that meeting, if everything works out okay, I’ll meet and we’ll wrap it up,” he said.
“If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons,” Trump said on the potential ending of the war.
