Trump urges Zelenskyy to negotiate Ukraine Russia peace deal
US President Donald Trump is pushing for a Ukraine-Russia peace deal, urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to start negotiations.
Trump, referring to the February 2025 Oval Office confrontation with Zelenskyy, said, "We want Zelenskyy to make a deal. He can make a deal. He could have made a deal in February 2025 when we had our little chat in the Oval Office."
He also called on Russian President Putin to help release American captive Stephen Hubbard, hinting at possible movement behind the scenes.
Zelenskyy demands Ukraine included in talks
Things are tense between Kyiv and Washington after Trump eased some sanctions on Russia for a fuel deal and criticized Ukraine's military actions.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy made it clear that Ukraine must be directly involved in any future peace talks.
He welcomed renewed US intelligence sharing but stressed that Ukraine must be included in any future talks on its fate after meetings with US envoys.