Trump says he ‘won’t be happy’ if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine during Alaska summit
President Donald Trump said Friday he “won’t be happy” if he does not walk away from his meeting with President Vladimir Putin with a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier he doesn’t like to have “too many expectations,” but “I’d like to have a ceasefire.”
“I wouldn’t be thrilled if I didn’t get it,” he said. “Everyone says, ‘You’re not going to get a ceasefire. You – it’ll take place on the second meeting,’ … but I’m not going to be happy with that.”
The president said he might cancel talks entirely if Friday’s summit does not go well.
“I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire. Now, I – I say this, and I said it from the beginning: This is really setting the table today. We’re going to have another meeting, if things work out, which will be very soon, or we’re not going to have any more meetings at all, maybe ever.”
ZELENSKYY, AHEAD OF TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING, SAYS THERE IS ‘NO SIGN’ RUSSIA WANTS TO END THE WAR
Trump spoke while flying on Air Force One toward Anchorage, Alaska, where he and his team met with the Russian delegation in the first face-to-face meeting with Putin of the new administration.
Trump said that he would not be negotiating peace on Ukraine’s behalf, but would rather “set the table” for negotiations between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Well, look, it’s not for me to negotiate a deal for Ukraine, but I can certainly set the table to negotiate the deal,” he said. “Our next meeting will have President Zelenskyy and President Putin and probably me.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP CONFIDENT PUTIN WANTS PEACE WITH UKRAINE, THINKS HE’S ‘HAD ENOUGH’ OF WAR
Trump also added that he “may have to start liking” Hillary Clinton, after the former Democratic presidential candidate said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if he negotiated a peace deal and did not “capitulate” to Russia.
“That was very nice. I may have to start liking her again,” Trump said.
Clinton, a former Secretary of State, said that there are several things Trump needs to get Putin to agree to if he were to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.
“But maybe this is the opportunity to make it clear that there must be a ceasefire, there will be no exchange of territory, and that, over a period of time, Putin should be actually withdrawing from the territory he seized in order to demonstrate his good faith efforts, let us say, not to threaten European security,” she said.
Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
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