Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president said both Kyiv and Moscow were ready to negotiate an end to the nearly four-year-old conflict
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Switzerland, expressing confidence that Kyiv and Moscow are now close to reaching a deal to end the war.
Speaking after his address to world leaders and business executives at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to negotiate an end to the nearly four-year-old conflict and that Zelenskyy was also ready to strike an agreement.
While acknowledging that both sides had previously stepped back from a potential deal, Trump said negotiations were now “reasonably close” to bringing the war to an end, according to a Reuters report.
Trump twice said he would meet with Zelenskyy later on Wednesday, a fact disputed by a source familiar with Zelenskyy’s schedule, but later said the meeting was planned for Thursday.
Ukraine will mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24.
Trump said he had expected to negotiate a deal to end the war sooner, but there was “abnormal hatred” between the two leaders. Last week, Trump told Reuters that Zelenskyy was the main impediment to reaching an agreement.
On Wednesday, he said Washington was getting closer to brokering a ceasefire agreement.
“I think I can say that we’re reasonably close,” he said. “We have to get it stopped … I believe they’re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don’t, they’re stupid.”
With inputs from agencies
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