Trump, Putin (AP file photos)
US president Donald Trump on Thursday said he would soon speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin, after holding calls earlier in the day with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders. Trump made the remark at a White House dinner with American tech leaders. Asked by a reporter if he planned to talk to Putin in the near future, he replied, “I will be, yeah. We’re having a very good dialogue.”Trump also said he had “settled seven wars” during his time in office and that he expected the Russia–Ukraine conflict to be easier to resolve, but it had turned out to be tougher. “I settled seven wars. The one that I thought would be maybe one of the easiest. You know that feeling? You think one thing is going to be easier, turns out to be a little bit tougher. But the one that I thought would be an easier one, because of my relationship with president Putin and with Ukraine and everything else.” The comment comes as Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine with no ceasefire deal in place. Putin has not shown signs of backing down and was recently seen strengthening ties with China and India. The three leaders appeared together this week at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Beijing. Trump and Putin last met on August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska. The talks focused on the war in Ukraine but ended without a ceasefire agreement.
