WASHINGTON
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he expects to soon speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin while striking an upbeat note about the prospects for ending the Ukraine conflict.
Trump said he is having "a very good dialogue" with Putin but lamented that 7,014 people were killed this week alone in Russia's war on Ukraine. He further reiterated his long-stated position that he thought he would be able to quickly wrap up the Russian war, only to be repeatedly stymied after assuming office.
"We'll get it done," Trump said as he hosted tech executives at the White House. "This one turned out to be more difficult, but we're going to get it done."
Trump on Wednesday reiterated his commitment to ending the war amid growing uncertainty over whether a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy -- a key step ahead of a proposed trilateral with Trump -- will materialize.
"I've been watching it, I've been seeing it, and I've been talking about it with President Putin and President Zelenskyy," Trump said in an interview with CBS News. "Something is going to happen, but they are not ready yet. But something is going to happen."
Trump earlier Thursday urged European leaders to stop buying Russian oil to pressure Moscow to end its war on Ukraine and said economic pressure should be applied on China "for funding Russia's war efforts," according to a White House official.
Trump made the appeal when he called into a "coalition of the willing" meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris that seeks to rally support for Ukraine.
"President Trump emphasized that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war — as Russia received €1.1 billion in fuel sales from the EU in one year," the official said in a statement. "The President also emphasized that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts."
The official said Trump will soon be making an announcement regarding Russia but did not lay out a firm timeline and said that during the call, "diverging views among European leaders on how to address the ongoing conflict" became apparent.