US President Donald Trump warned today (Monday) of the consequences if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, noting that it remains unclear whether the meeting will happen. Trump stated, “It is still unclear if Putin and Zelensky will meet,” adding, “I don’t know if they will, maybe yes, maybe no.” He revealed that after hosting European leaders and Zelensky last week for talks, and after his phone call with Putin, he was working on arranging direct talks between the two presidents, possibly followed by a trilateral meeting including himself, emphasizing that both parties need to agree for it to happen.

Trump said, “I always say they should meet before I hold a meeting, and maybe the deal will be completed.” Responding to reporters, he said, “Yes, I talked to him about Ukraine and nuclear missiles, and every conversation I have with him is good, but then, unfortunately, a bomb drops on Kyiv or elsewhere, which makes me very angry,” adding he will speak with Putin again. The US administration will no longer spend money on Ukraine, Trump noted, highlighting that the US is studying drone tactics in Ukraine, which represent a completely new form of warfare due to their extensive use for reconnaissance and armed attacks. Trump stressed, “Drone warfare did not exist before. We are actually studying it.” He did not discuss specific security guarantees for Ukraine but confirmed US support.

Earlier today, Trump said Putin is hesitant to meet Zelensky because he dislikes him, and he intends to hold further talks with Putin to end the war. He pointed out that Europe will take the lead role, while the US will provide a supporting role in offering guarantees to Ukraine, stating, “We do not yet know what the security guarantee is because we have not discussed details, but first, Europe will give them significant security guarantees, and it should because it is closer, and we will participate in backup support to help them.” Trump also mentioned that during his meeting with Putin on August 15 in Alaska, they discussed reducing their countries’ massive nuclear arsenals once the Ukraine crisis is resolved, emphasizing, “We want nuclear disarmament; it is an excessive power. We talked about that too; it is part of the matter, but we have to end the war.”