US President Donald Trump has expressed his ‘lot of respect’ for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of their talks at the White House on Friday, predicting a ‘very good meeting’ and efforts to achieve peace are ‘moving along pretty rapidly’.
US President Donald Trump has expressed his ‘lot of respect’ for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, ahead of their talks at the White House on Friday.
Trump was speaking after meeting with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to discuss ending the war between Ukraine and Russia. He predicted a ‘very good meeting’ with Zelensky, saying efforts to achieve peace are ‘moving along pretty rapidly‘.
Volodymyr Zelensky is a Ukrainian politician and film producer who became the President of Ukraine in 2019.
Prior to his presidency, he was an actor and comedian, known for his roles in TV shows such as 'Servant of the People.' He won the presidential election with over 73% of the vote, running on a platform of anti-corruption and reform.
As president, Zelensky has faced significant challenges, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
He has been praised for his leadership during this time, using social media to communicate directly with citizens and rally international support.
This week’s meetings come after the Trump administration held its first high-level talks with Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine just over three years ago. The US President had previously appeared to blame Zelensky for the war and chided him for not starting peace talks earlier.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a longstanding dispute between the two nations over territory, politics, and identity.
The crisis escalated in 2014 with 'Russia's annexation of Crimea' , followed by ongoing separatist movements in eastern Ukraine.
According to the United Nations, over 13,000 people have been killed since 2014.
Economic sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries have had significant effects on both economies.
In recent years, diplomatic efforts have aimed to establish a peace settlement, but progress remains slow.
Trump Denies Calling Zelensky a ‘Dictator’
When asked by the BBC if he would apologize for calling Zelensky a ‘dictator‘, Trump replied: ‘Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.’ He also described Zelensky as ‘very brave’.
Zelensky is expected to sign a deal on Friday that will give the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth mineral resources. Trump suggested that the presence of US mining concerns in Ukraine would act as a deterrent against future Russian attacks.
UK Ready to Send Troops to Ukraine
The British Prime Minister had said earlier that the UK was prepared to send troops to Ukraine after the war, but only if the US provided a ‘backstop’. When asked if the US would aid British peacekeepers if they were attacked by Russia, Trump replied: ‘The British have incredible soldiers, incredible military and they can take care of themselves. But if they need help, I’ll always be with the British.’
EU Foreign Policy Chief Warns Against Trusting Putin
Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief, told BBC News that Putin and Russia do not want to have peace. ‘For any peace agreement to function, it needs the Europeans as well as Ukrainians on board,’ she added.
Vladimir Putin was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad, Soviet Union.
He studied law at Leningrad State University and worked as a KGB agent from 1975 to 1990.
Putin served as the Mayor of St. Petersburg from 1991 to 1996 and later as the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000.
He became Acting President in 2008, then Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012, and again President in 2012.
Putin has been a prominent figure in Russian politics for over two decades.
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being killed or injured, with millions of Ukrainian civilians fleeing as refugees. The Kremlin has warned that Russia will make no territorial concessions to Ukraine as part of a peace deal.
Background to the Conflict
Following the overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president in 2014, Moscow annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and backed pro-Russian separatists in bloody fighting in eastern Ukraine. The conflict burst into all-out war when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Separately, Russian and US officials met in Istanbul for talks on rebuilding diplomatic ties. The two nuclear superpowers expelled one another’s embassy staff during the presidency of Joe Biden.
