GROWING IMPATIENCE
Trump had vowed to end the war within a day of returning to the White House. He quickly reached out to Putin, effectively ending the Western isolation of the Russian leader in place since he invaded Ukraine.
But Trump has shown growing impatience, first with Zelenskyy and more recently with Putin as the fighting has continued.
Trump said Thursday he wanted lasting peace. “It can all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment’s notice if my services are needed,” he wrote.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly warned that the United States could drop its efforts and move on to other issues without progress.
Trump heads next week to Saudi Arabia, which has served as a venue for separate US talks with Russia and Ukraine.
Asked by reporters if he could hold a surprise meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia, Trump said: “I don’t think so but we’re having very good conversations. Very, very good.”
Zelenskyy has sought to remove perceptions that he is an obstacle to peace, after Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated him at the White House meeting as allegedly ungrateful for the billions of dollars in US aid under former president Joe Biden.
Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday ratified a minerals deal with the United States that Zelenskyy had meant to sign in the ill-fated White House meeting.
The deal, which spells out joint development of Ukraine’s natural resources and minerals used in high technology, does not include any security guarantees from Washington.
But the Trump administration argues that boosting its business interests in Ukraine will itself act as a bulwark against Russia.
