President Donald Trump said Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to negotiate a deal to end the war with Russia, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin also hopes to meet soon.
President Trump spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office after signing several executive orders. When a reporter asked if he had told President Zelensky that he was willing to negotiate a settlement to the war with Russia, President Trump responded in the affirmative.
“Yes, he is willing to negotiate an agreement. He wants to block this,” Trump said. “He was the one who lost a lot of soldiers, and so did Russia. … Russia lost many more soldiers. They lost 800,000. Do you think that’s a lot? I think it’s a lot. I think so.”
He was also asked whether sanctions against Russia would force President Putin to negotiate.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin met with members of the Security Council at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Alexei Babushkin, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo)
President Trump said, “I don’t know, but I think we should agree.”
President Trump also told reporters that because Chinese President Xi Jinping has power over Russia, it could influence the war between Russia and Ukraine. He explained that the two countries are major trading partners.
President Trump pointed out that Russia supplies a lot of energy to China, and the latter pays large sums of money to the former.
“I think Russia should want an agreement because I think they have a lot of power over Russia,” Trump said. “From what I hear, President Putin wants to meet me, so I will meet him as soon as possible.”
Putin says Russia is ready to compromise with Trump on Ukraine war
Former President Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower in New York City on September 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demarie Nihinson)
In explaining the war in Ukraine, President Trump said soldiers were being killed on battlefields “like no battlefields since World War II.”
“More soldiers are being killed every day than we have seen in decades,” he said. “I wish that war would end. It’s a stupid war.”
President Putin is reportedly concerned about his country’s economic situation as President Trump returns to the Oval Office. Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine will only increase Putin’s concerns, Reuters reported, citing various sources.
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A Ukrainian National Police officer walks in front of a restaurant destroyed by a Russian attack in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, June 27, 2023. (Ukraine National Police via AP)
Throughout his election campaign, Trump has pushed for an end to global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war that began with President Vladimir Putin’s invasion in 2022.
Putin said last month that he was willing to compromise on Ukraine in talks with Trump to end the war, and that there were no conditions for starting talks with Ukrainian authorities.
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“We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises,” Putin said at the time, saying Russian troops were advancing on all fronts and moving toward achieving key goals in Ukraine. said.
“In my opinion, very soon no one will want to fight. We are ready, but the other side needs to be prepared to both negotiate and compromise.”
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Greg Wenner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and @GregWehner on Twitter.
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