US president: Putin, Zelenskyy intransigent negotiators

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are intransigent negotiators, US President Donald Trump said during a meeting with the Ukrainian president in Ankara on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

Report quotes the US leader as saying an agreement between Russia and Ukraine will ultimately be reached.

Trump stated that the agreement had been in the works for a long time and possessed both pros and cons, adding that both sides knew what it was. He noted that while he had used the analogy before and it might seem simple, there was some truth to imagining two children in a park who disliked each other and started fighting. He explained that sometimes it was necessary to let them fight so they could understand how difficult it was, remarking that both war and combat were hard.

He also expressed the opinion that the parties were approaching a point where a peaceful settlement would become possible.

According to the US president, amazingly, the situation between Ukraine and Russia is worse than it had ever been.

When asked why he believed Putin was open to a settlement, Trump cited his repeated conversations with him, as well as with President Zelenskyy.

The US President added that he had spoken to Putin and President Zelenskyy, expressing his belief that Putin wanted to make a deal and that President Zelenskyy would like to return to rebuilding his country rather than continuing to live with death and destruction.