Washington, October 18: US President Donald Trump has urged Russia and Ukraine to “stop the killing” and “make a deal,” suggesting that both sides should claim victory and bring an end to the prolonged conflict. His remarks came after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, a day after a two-and-a-half-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following the meeting, Trump described his discussions with Zelensky as “very interesting and cordial” and reiterated his call for peace on Truth Social. “I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing and make a deal. They should stop where they are. Let both claim victory, let history decide!” he wrote.
The US President said continuing the war would only lead to “more death” and “unsustainable sums of money spent,” adding, “This is a war that would have never started if I were President.”
During a joint media appearance, Trump appeared to soften his stance on supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. “We’re going to be talking about Tomahawks, and I would much rather have them not need Tomahawks. Would much rather have the war be over,” he said, adding that the US “needs those missiles” for its own security.
Zelensky, however, pressed for the weapons, saying, “Ukraine has thousands of our production drones, but we don’t have Tomahawks. That’s why we need them.”
The two leaders also offered contrasting assessments of Putin’s intentions. While Trump asserted that “Putin wants to end the war,” Zelensky countered that “Putin doesn’t want” to stop the conflict.
Trump said his recent call with Putin made “great progress” and revealed plans to meet the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks. He added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a delegation to meet Russian officials next week to lay the groundwork for another Trump-Putin summit within three months.
The August summit in Alaska had ended without an agreement, after which Trump adopted a tougher posture toward Moscow. Having recently claimed success in helping halt the Gaza conflict, he now appears intent on brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.
When asked whether Putin was using peace talks to buy time, Trump replied, “I’ve been played by the best of them, but I came out really well. I think he wants to make a deal. I made eight of them. I’m going to make a ninth.”
However, the President’s remarks drew criticism from Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who said Trump had failed to demonstrate meaningful support for Ukraine. “This isn’t Trump bringing peace through strength; this is weakness through appeasement,” Meeks said.
