Trump tells Zelensky to ‘show flexibility’

The US president has been spearheading an attempt to end the conflict between Moscow and Kiev

US President Donald Trump has renewed his push for talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, urging the latter to be more flexible.

Trump made the remarks on Tuesday after a meeting in Washington with Zelensky, several European leaders, and the heads of NATO and the European Commission. The discussions centered on conditions for a possible peace deal with Russia. The talks followed Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska last week.

In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump claimed he had resolved “seven wars” during his political career but described the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as the toughest one yet.

Trump, who wants to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, expressed hope that the Ukrainian leader “will do what he has to do,” adding that “He has to show some flexibility.”

Trump had earlier suggested that a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky could be held soon, saying “there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.”

Trump met Putin on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, in their first face-to-face encounter since 2019 in the American president’s first term. He described the talks as “warm,” while Putin called them “frank” and “substantive.”

He followed up on Monday with a phone call to the Russian president, briefing him on the talks in Washington. According to the Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the call lasted 40 minutes, with both sides expressing readiness to continue discussions on a resolution with Zelensky.

READ MORE: No return of Crimea and no NATO for Ukraine – Trump

Moscow maintains that any lasting settlement must eliminate the root causes of the conflict, address Russia’s security concerns, and recognize current territorial realities, including the status of Crimea and the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in 2022.