Trump says will discuss Ukraine's "difficulties" as he meets Zelenskyy in The Hague

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump met today, June 25, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague.

Ahead of the meeting, both leaders had indicated their intention to hold talks. Just before the summit session began, President Trump referred to Zelenskyy as a “nice guy” and said they were likely to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Caliber.Az reports, citing American media.

“Well, we’ll discuss the obvious. We’ll discuss his difficulty. He’s got a little difficulty, Zelenskyy,” Trump told reporters before joining the summit. “He’s a nice guy. I mean, I’m going to meet him today. I don’t know, I assume we’re going to be discussing Ukraine.”

Trump also revealed that he had several conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had offered assistance in resolving the conflict between Iran and Israel. However, Trump declined the offer, saying, “I don’t need help with Iran, I need help with you (Russia).” Trump added that "he [Putin] actually was very nice".

The NATO summit is underway in The Hague on June 24–25 , marking the first time the Netherlands has hosted the alliance’s top-level meeting. Leaders from all 32 member states gathered to address key security issues, with discussions focused on raising defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, strengthening collective defence, and reinforcing support for Ukraine. The summit also highlighted growing concerns over cyber threats, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and instability in the Middle East.

By Khagan Isayev