US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Russia should make a peace deal with Ukraine, adding that he would do what he could to end the war after a “very good” meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Group of Seven leaders at a summit in France.
Trump arrived at the G7 summit in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains brandishing a preliminary deal to end the conflict with Iran and with a renewed focus on finishing the war in Ukraine.
Trump cheered his meeting with Zelensky and other G7 presidents at a closed-door session on Tuesday, adding that he would meet bilaterally with the Ukrainian leader later.
He pointed to the high casualties on both sides in the conflict, a toll he described as “ridiculous”.
“Admit the whole thing is ridiculous. So, yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can,” he said, adding that “Russia should make a deal”.
Zelensky and European diplomats hope to impress upon Trump that Ukraine’s fortunes have improved as Kyiv pushes for more support to strengthen its hand in eventual peace talks with Moscow.
