Peace Talks: Trump to Meet Putin Alone, Citing “Bad Blood” with Zelensky
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday, October 17, that his upcoming peace meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, will be held as a bilateral session. However, he noted that Washington will remain in contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump confirmed the summit following a two-hour conversation with Putin on Thursday, saying it would take place in the coming weeks, though no exact date has been set.
The U.S. President explained that Zelensky would not be part of the in-person talks due to the strained relationship between the two Eastern European leaders.
“It’s going to be a bilateral meeting,” Trump said. “We’ll stay in touch with President Zelensky. There’s a lot of bad blood between the two presidents, and I’m not speaking out of turn when I say that.”
Speaking at the White House, Trump characterized himself as the “mediator president” for the conflict and said he intends to “keep a little bit of distance” between the two warring leaders.
He elaborated, “Three presidents and I’m the mediator president, and I’m mediating. Not an easy situation… It’s a lot easier when people understand each other, when they get together, when they like each other.
We don’t necessarily have that situation, as far as ‘like’ is concerned. Maybe it can turn around, maybe it can. But in the meantime, we’ll have them keep a little bit of distance.”
