Trump urges flexibility from Putin, Zelenskyy amid push to end Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump has called on Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to demonstrate “flexibility” as he intensifies efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

“I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he’s not, it’s going to be a rough situation. “I hope that Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy, will do what he has to do. He has to show some flexibility,” Trump said on August 19 in an interview on Fox News, Caliber.Az reports via Bloomberg.

Trump’s remarks come after a series of diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict, now in its fourth year. Last week, he held a summit in Alaska with Putin, followed by talks at the White House with Zelenskyy and European allies on August 18.

Trump spoke with Putin again on August 18, urging him to begin planning a bilateral summit with Zelenskyy. Such a meeting would mark the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Trump also indicated that, if successful, the meeting could be followed by a trilateral summit including himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy.

“I think they’re doing okay. I wouldn’t say they are ever going to be best friends, but they’re doing okay, and we’re just going to see,” Trump said. “So we’re setting up a meeting. I sort of set it up with Putin and Zelenskyy, and, you know, they’re the ones that have to call the shots.”

The timing and location for the proposed meeting remain undecided. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed only that Trump and Putin had discussed the idea of direct talks with Zelenskyy.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy could occur within two weeks, while French President Emmanuel Macron indicated a trilateral summit could happen within three weeks.

By Khagan Isayev