Zelenskyy has no "trump cards": Trump hopes that a peace agreement will be concluded after his meeting with Putin
Kyiv • UNN
The US President stated that he will likely plan a meeting with Putin, after which a peace agreement will be concluded. However, if there are no results at the negotiations in Turkey, Trump did not rule out the imposition of sanctions.
US President Donald Trump said in an exclusive interview with Fox News on Friday, May 16, that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin is "tired of the war" and wants agreements. The main obstacle to peace, the American leader called the lack of "trump cards" in Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is reported by UNN with reference to Fox News.
Details
In response to host Bret Baier's remark that Putin is not at the negotiating table, Trump said that Putin is "at the negotiating table."
And he wanted that meeting. But I always felt there couldn't be a meeting without me. There is a lot of hatred on both sides. I have a very good relationship with Putin. I think we will make a deal. We have to meet. And I think we'll probably schedule it because I'm tired of other people going and meeting and all that. Steve Witkoff did an amazing job. But it's a very difficult job. And it's a job that, given the position, I think I'm the only one who can do it. And I think we'll do it quickly. I think Putin is tired of all this
Answering a direct question from a journalist as to whether he considers Putin the main obstacle to achieving peace, the head of the White House refrained from accusations against the president of the Russian Federation. At the same time, he shifted the focus to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Listen, I had a pretty tough conversation with Zelenskyy because I didn't like what he said. And he didn't make things easy. I always said: he has no trumps. And there really aren't any
He also reiterated that only he personally can resolve the conflict.
"There can't be a meeting without me, because, in my opinion, the deal won't go through without me. I have a very good relationship with Putin. I think we will reach an agreement," Trump said.
The American leader stated that in case of failure of diplomatic efforts, he is ready to resort to economic pressure on Russia - in particular, to impose sanctions on oil and those who buy it, as proposed by a group of senators led by Lindsey Graham. Trump added that he successfully used this lever of pressure in the case of Venezuela and Iran.
I just introduced it against Venezuela. It's called secondary sanctions. And I just did it with Venezuela... I just did it with Iran. Basically, if you buy oil from Iran, you can't do business with the United States. And you see the ships just leaving that port. You know, it was great in Venezuela
"Putin was making a fortune. Now I have oil down, so no one is making a fortune anymore. And it will go even lower," Trump promised on Fox News.
Let us remind you
On May 16, negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul. These were the first direct negotiations in more than three years since the full-scale invasion. They ended about two hours after the start.
After the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk held talks with US President Donald Trump. The President of Ukraine noted that during the conversation, the importance of sanctions was emphasized if Russia refuses a complete and unconditional ceasefire and killings.
