Trump Says May Meet Zelenskyy Next Week As He Looks To End Putin's 'Ridiculous' War

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he may 'probably' be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week, and speaking with Russia's Vladimir Putin to end the “ridiculous” war between the two countries, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

“For one primary reason — they’re killing so many people. You’re losing millions of people on a battlefield,” Trump told reporters in an Oval Office welcome for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

“I’d like to see it end just on a human basis,” he said. “It’s terrible what’s going on,” he went on to add.

The meeting with Zelenskyy would likely be held in Washington, D.C., Trump said, adding that he wanted to talk to his Ukrainian counterpart about the country's “rare earth” minerals.

The U.S. wants “an equal amount of something” in exchange for the money provided to Ukraine to help fight the war, Trump said, echoing his previous statements.

Zelenskyy has also signalled it's a conversation to which Kyiv is open — provided that security guarantees are part of any such deals with allies.

"If we are talking about a deal, then let's do a deal, we are only for it," the Ukrainian President was quoted as saying on Friday, reminding that less than 20 percent of Ukraine's mineral resources — including about half its rare earth deposits — are currently under Russian occupation.

Zelenskyy will lead Ukraine’s delegation at the Munich Security Conference next week, where U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio are also expected to attend.