Trump meets Ukraine’s Zelenskyy as Iran moves into ‘rear-view mirror’

Donald Trump has pledged further support to Kyiv and urged Moscow to “make a deal” to end the Ukraine war, as the president’s attention turns to Europe amid hopes the Iran conflict is nearing its conclusion.

Trump is meeting with leaders of the wealthy G7 countries in Evian, France, on Tuesday, as the U.S prepares to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran on Friday to bring the nearly four-month war to an end. Talks with representatives of other countries and economies are also scheduled, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The president attended a meeting with G7 leaders plus Zelenskyy on Tuesday morning, which overan by around an hour. The president later held a separate conversation with Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar on Tuesday, Trump said he had already “had a good meeting” with the Ukrainian leader.

“Russia should make a deal,” he told reporters. “Russia has lost tremendous amounts of people, and so has Ukraine.”

Trump added that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, with that conversation covering “the same thing.”

“This was the [war] I thought was going to be the easiest settled,” Trump said, but he added that “there’s a lot of dislike between the two leaders.”

Before returning to the White House for his second presidential term, Trump said he would be able to resolve the Ukraine war in a day.

“We were focused on Iran, that’s going to be in the rearview mirror,” he said on Tuesday as he told reporters that he would meet Zelenskyy again later on in the day.

Labeling the lives lost in the Russia-Ukraine war “ridiculous,” Trump added: “I’m going to do whatever I can.”

Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Tuesday morning that “substantive meetings” were underway.

“The schedule for the day is packed,” he said. “The key focus is to strengthen air defense for Ukraine and advance diplomacy, to make Russia end its war. Peace is needed.”

Trump’s European allies are using the high-stakes G7 talks to push for a renewed American commitment to supporting Ukraine’s war effort and for a diplomatic end to the war.

France currently holds the rotating G7 presidency. In a press briefing ahead of the summit, which enters its second day on Tuesday and will conclude on Wednesday, Macron said a key focus of the talks would be maintaining support for Ukraine.

“Europeans are currently providing almost 100% of the aid to Ukraine,” he said. “It is important that our other G7 partners, and in particular the United States, continue to do their part — at the very least, not weaken their position towards Ukraine.”

In a statement at the G7 summit on Monday evening,…