ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to show "flexibility" in negotiations to help end the war with Russia.

In a Fox News interview after landmark talks with Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Washington, Trump said he hopes the Ukrainian president "will do what he has to do" and "show some flexibility" in upcoming talks.

He also referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he spoke to after Monday's White House meeting. "I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he is not, it is going to be a rough situation," Trump said in the interview.

Trump argued that Ukraine's key demands – NATO membership and the return of Crimea – remain out of reach.

"Both of those things are impossible," Trump said, adding that NATO membership for Ukraine was "always a no-no" even before Putin's era, in the 1990s. He said Russia consistently opposed having "the enemy" on their border, adding: "They were right."

According to NATO and Ukraine, the country was far from any prospect of membership before the war began in February 2022.

Despite these limitations, Trump suggested Ukraine would benefit from a deal. "Ukraine is going to get their life back. They are going to stop having people killed all over the place, and they are going to get a lot of land," he said.

Security guarantees

While ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine, Trump said some European nations were planning to deploy their military as part of security guarantees to Kyiv.

"They are not going to be a part of NATO," Trump said, adding that France, Germany and the UK "want to have boots on the ground."

He clarified America's role in the security arrangements, saying European countries are "willing to put people on the ground" while the US may provide air support capabilities "because there is nobody (that) has the kind of stuff we have." Trump claimed that Russia would not object to the arrangement if an agreement were reached.

His comments follow Monday's White House meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The discussions focused on resolving the Russia-Ukraine war in the wake of Trump's Alaska summit with Putin.

Putin-Zelenskyy meeting

Following his subsequent call with Putin, Trump announced plans for a meeting between the Russian leader and Zelenskyy, followed by a three-way meeting that would include himself.

"I thought I would first let them meet. They have not been exactly best friends," Trump said.

Despite their historical animosity, Trump expressed cautious optimism about the Putin and Zelenskyy relationship. "I think the fact that maybe they are getting along a little bit better than I thought, otherwise I would not have set up the meeting," he said.

Trump emphasized the critical timeline during discussions with European leaders. He said one official suggested waiting "another month or two" for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. He said he responded by saying it would cause thousands more deaths and immediately called Putin to arrange the meeting.

He said if "everything works out OK" at the Putin-Zelenskyy meeting, he would meet them and "wrap it up."