Trump addresses Ukraine-Russia peace talks, says Zelenskyy will be involved

President Donald Trump spoke about his plans to end the Russo-Ukrainian War during a press gaggle on Sunday, stating that he believes the leaders of both countries “want to stop fighting.”

Speaking on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, Trump said that he’s currently in the process of “trying to get peace with Russia, Ukraine.”

“And we’re working very hard on it,” he said. “It’s a war that should have never started.”

When asked if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be involved in the conversations, Trump replied in the affirmative.

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon arrival in West Palm Beach, Fla., U.S., Sunday. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

“He will be involved, yes,” Trump said. When asked by a reporter, Trump also said he would allow Europeans to purchase American-made weapons sold to Ukraine.

The Republican president went on say that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began the war in February 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and escalated it in February 2022 by invading Ukraine, wants to bring the war to an end.

“I think he wants to stop fighting,” Trump said. “They have a big, powerful machine, you understand that? And they defeated Hitler and they defeated Napoleon. You know, he’s been fighting a long time…I think he would like to stop fighting.”

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President Donald Trump steps from Air Force One upon arrival in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

“Zelenskyy wants to end it, too.”

Talks between the U.S. and Russia are expected to begin in Saudi Arabia this week, though it was previously reported that Ukraine was not expected to be directly involved. Trump’s national security advisor Michael Waltz said on “Fox News Sunday” that negotiations will involve “key tenants,” in order to guarantee a “permanent end to the war.”

“The United States and Europe have supported [the Ukrainian] effort, but the United States unquestionably has borne the brunt of that support over the years, but now President Trump is clear it needs to come to an end,” Waltz said Sunday. 

 Trump’s comments came shortly after a “Meet the Press” interview with Zelenskyy aired on NBC, in which the Ukrainian leader discussed Putin and claimed that he “fears” Trump.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in West Palm Beach, Fla, Sunday. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

“I said that [Putin] is a liar,” Zelenskyy said of a recent phone call to Trump. “And he said, ‘I think my feeling is that he’s ready for these negotiations.’ And I said to him, ‘No, he’s a liar. He doesn’t want any peace.'”

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“But I think he’s really a little bit scared about the President Trump,” Zelenskyy added. “And I think the president has this chance, and he’s strong. And I think that really, he can push Putin to peace negotiations. Yes, I think so. I think he can, but don’t trust him. Don’t trust Putin. Don’t trust just words about ceasefire.”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton, Danielle Wallace and Brooke Curto contributed to this report.