At a NATO summit, Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky “very nice,” signaling a change of tone after initial disagreements. At the same time, he issued a sharp condemnation of Vladimir Putin.
After meeting at the NATO summit, Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “very nice.” He also stepped up his rhetoric toward Russia.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
When asked by Putin about possible mediation in the Iran-Israel conflict, Trump replied: No, you can help me with Russia. Previously, he demonstrated greater understanding for Putin and even conducted direct peace talks with the Russian side. However, recently, Trump expressed disappointment with Vladimir Putin's maximalist demands and his refusal to cease fire.
The evolution of Trump's relations with Ukraine and Russia
Trump’s attitude toward the Russian and Ukrainian leaders has been volatile. In February, his Oval Office meeting with Zelensky ended in a dispute that led to a temporary suspension of U.S. military and intelligence aid to Kyiv.
At the NATO summit, Trump expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine, which he said was “spinning out of control.” Zelensky described their meeting as “lengthy and meaningful.”
While Trump denied discussing a cease-fire, he called the nearly hour-long meeting “very pleasant” and focused on the overall situation in Ukraine. He also noted that he and Zelensky “have had difficult times” in the past, referring to the dispute in the White House.
He added: “What I took away from that meeting — actually, it would be nicer to say — but I took away that he wanted it to end.” Trump also expressed his intention to talk to Putin to “end” the war. Because “now is a great time to end it.”
Military aid and the build-up of the Russian offensive
Trump has stressed the need to rebuild the U.S. defense industrial base to avoid being dependent on foreign adversaries for critical materials. Last month, Kyiv and Washington signed a minerals deal that was previously abandoned in an Oval Office row.
Trump and Zelensky's meeting on Wednesday came as Russia accelerates its summer offensive and ramps up production of missiles and drones. Russia launched a record number of Shahed drones in June, according to Rochan Consulting, a Polish war-tracking group, and could exceed 5,000 by the end of the month.
Russia’s ground offensive has also intensified, with its troops advancing at the fastest pace since November. Several key cities in eastern Ukraine, such as Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka, have become near ghost towns due to incessant shelling. Trump claimed that the Ukrainian and Russian armies suffered a combined 7,000 casualties on the battlefield last week, though that figure has not been independently verified.
Given the Ukrainian army's difficulties and lack of weapons, Zelensky asked Trump to increase the supply of weapons, including American Patriot air defense systems and interceptor missiles. Trump said Washington is considering supplying Ukraine with more Patriot missiles, despite the needs of the United States and Israel.
Earlier it was reported that on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague on June 25, a meeting was held between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States — Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. This meeting was the first official conversation between the leaders after their brief conversation on April 26 in the Vatican during the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis.
