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New Delhi: Days after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday, declaring there was a "possibility that something could come out of it" and insisting the Russia-Ukraine war would end.
"The war is going to end. When it ends, I can't tell you, but the war is going to end," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "This gentleman (Zelenskyy) wants it to end and Vladimir Putin wants it to end. I think the whole world is tired of it. We are going to get it ended."
Trump said he had already ended six wars during his presidency and thought the Ukraine conflict might be "the easiest one", but admitted it was proving "a tough one". He cited past conflicts such as India-Pakistan and long-running wars in Africa, saying, "Rwanda and the Congo, that has been going on for 31 years. We have done a total of six, not including the fact that we totally obliterated the future nuclear capability of Iran. I feel confident that we are going to get this war off."
The US President added that his recent talks with both Putin and Zelenskyy had yielded "very substantial progress in many ways". "I think there is a possibility that something could come out of it and today's meeting is very important," he said.
Trump emphasised that Washington was working with both Russia and Ukraine to ensure any settlement would last. "We are not talking about a two-year peace and then ending up in this mess again. We are going to make sure it works, and if we can get to peace, I have no doubt it will hold," he said.
Zelenskyy, for his part, thanked Trump for "his efforts to stop killing and this war", while also acknowledging support from European partners including France, Germany, the UK, Finland and the EU. He also handed over a letter from his wife to US First Lady Melania Trump.
The White House meeting was hastily arranged after Trump's discussions with Putin, with the US President later suggesting that the onus was now on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions that could help end the conflict. Trump is also scheduled to meet various European leaders in the coming hours as part of his push to broker peace in Ukraine.
