Trump ties Putin meeting to assurances of Ukraine deal

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would only reschedule a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he has assurances that a deal could be reached to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

"I'm gonna have to know that we're gonna make a deal. I'm not gonna be wasting my time," Trump told reporters while traveling to Malaysia for the 47th ASEAN summit.

Trump expressed disappointment with the peace process, saying: "I've always had a great relationship with Vladimir Putin, but this has been very disappointing."

He said the war proved more difficult than expected due to "tremendous hatred" between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin.

A White House official said earlier this week that plans for a second Trump-Putin summit were put on hold following a call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Trump announced Oct.16 he would meet Putin in Hungary within two weeks, but canceled Wednesday because "it didn't feel right."

- 'Good chance' of 'comprehensive deal' with China

Asked what he expects from his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, Trump said a "complete deal" with Beijing.

Leaders will meet in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

"I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he wants things also," Trump said, adding discussions will cover fentanyl trafficking from China.

Trump said he may discuss Russian oil purchases with Xi, noting China is "cutting back very substantially" while India is "cutting back completely," following US sanctions.

"I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal," he said.