Putin reluctant to meet Zelensky 'because he doesn't like him,' Trump says
Russian President Vladimir Putin avoids meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky because "he doesn't like him," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Aug. 25.
Trump separately met Putin and Zelensky this month as part of his push to broker peace, but no breakthrough has been achieved, and Russia has continued striking Ukrainian cities.
"Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "And then, unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and then I get very angry about it. I think we're going to get the war done. It's tough… Strange things happen in war."
During his Aug. 25 speech, Trump made contradictory statements about the possibility of ending Russia's war against Ukraine. He said he intends to arrange a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia but then added that it might not happen at all.
"They really don't like each other," Trump added. "The one I thought would be the easiest, frankly, was Russia and Ukraine. But it turns out there are some big personality conflicts."
Trump met Zelensky at the White House on Aug. 18, three days after he first met Putin in Alaska. Zelensky said following the meeting that Ukraine is prepared to hold unconditional talks with Moscow.
The Ukrainian leader said peace talks must address Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children, the return of occupied territories, and funding to support Ukraine's war effort.
Zelensky noted that more than 30 countries, including European states, Canada, and Japan, are ready to back security guarantees for Ukraine, with some signaling willingness to provide peacekeeping forces, intelligence, and air defense support.
Trump said U.S. backing would come "from the standpoint of backup," while European nations would provide significant security guarantees.
"We're going to help them," he said. "I want to stop seeing people being killed."
Earlier, on Aug. 19, Trump said that U.S. soldiers will not be on the ground in Ukraine to ensure security guarantees are upheld, highlighting European countries would "frontload" them.
Zelensky repeatedly said he is ready to meet Putin and hold peace talks with Russia. Zelensky told reporters on Aug. 20 that if Putin "is not ready" for a one-on-one meeting, Kyiv expects the United States to respond with tougher measures.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Aug. 22 that a meeting between the two leaders is “not ready at all,” claiming that Zelensky had rejected “several principles” needed for future peace talks and questioning his legitimacy.
