US President Donald Trump boycotted a meeting with European leaders on Monday to contact Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The news was initially released by the German newspaper Bild, which reported that the talks with European leaders will continue after the relationship with Putin at the White House. The sources familiar with the topic stated that the Europeans did not participate in the conversation.
Earlier, during the conversation with European leaders, Trump said he would contact the Russian leader to discuss the points referred to at the meeting.
“Putin is waiting for my call when we finish this meeting. There is a reasonable opportunity to develop this negotiation,” he said.
“I knew him long ago, and I have always been a great relationship with him,” Trump said of his Russian actor. “I think President Putin also wants to find an answer. We will see,” said the American leader.
Although Trump said that the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is the best, he wondered whether it was “necessary”, because he believes that the broader peace agreement could be achieved in the “near future”.
“It is clear that we prefer to stop the immediate shooting while we work for permanent peace. Something can happen like this. For the time, this doesn't happen,” Trump said, along with European leaders at the White House. He added that Ukrainian President Voludmir Zelinsky and Russian President Vladimir Putin can discuss the case.
The American leader also considered the idea of holding a triple meeting between him and Putin and Zellinski to discuss the conflict in Eastern Europe.
