FROM NEW YORK POST: Following his summit in Alaska with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin last week, and meeting at the White House three days later with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven other European leaders in an effort to broker peace in Ukraine, President Trump announced Monday that next steps would be a one-on-one meeting between Zelensky and Putin, with a trilateral meeting he would join them for sometime afterward.
Why see himself out of that initial meeting, then take a seat at the table after? Trump explained his reasoning Tuesday on conservative radio host Mark Levine’s show.
“I had a very successful meeting with President Putin. I had a very successful meeting with President Zelensky. And now I thought it would be better if they met without me, just to see, I want to see what goes on,” Trump told Levine.
“You know, they had a hard relationship, very bad, very bad relationship. And now we’ll see how they do and if necessary, and it probably would be, but if necessary, I’ll go and I’ll probably be able to get it closed.
“I just want to see what happens at the meeting. So they’re in the process of setting it up, and we’re going to see what happens,” Trump said.
POTUS discusses what guides him in peace talkshttps://t.co/zBxj3kQm6w
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) August 20, 2025
