President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will engage in “land swapping” that will be “good” and “bad” for both countries, a key part of his push to end the years-long war.
The president’s comments on Monday follow insistence from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his country would not trade land for peace, and underscore Trump’s focus on making a deal with Putin.
Still, Trump insisted that the Russian president, too, would likely have to give up some of the territory he has gained since invading in early 2022.
“Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine,” Trump said. “They've occupied some very prime territory. We're going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”
Friday, Trump said, is a “feel out meeting” in which he and Putin can discuss the likelihood of peace.
“If it’s a fair deal, I will reveal it to the European Union leaders and to the NATO leaders and also to President Zelenskyy,” Trump said. “I may say, ‘lots of luck, keep fighting,’ or I may say we can make a deal.”
Trump said it would take only two minutes to suss out Putin’s interest in a deal but he trusts Putin, who has misled him in the past, is sincere this time.
“I believe [Putin] wants to get it over,” Trump said. “Now, I've said that a few times, and I've been disappointed.”
Immediately after meeting with Putin, Trump said he would call European leaders and Zelenskyy to talk next steps, promising the next meeting would feature Putin and Zelenskyy and Trump, if needed.
“I will put the two of them in a room,” he said. “I think it will get solved.”
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is convening a virtual summit on Wednesday where Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders can discuss a potential agreement with Putin.
The virtual summit will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks.
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