Trump Plans to Strike a Deal with Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed a desire to reach an agreement with Russia, according to reports from TASS.

On board the aircraft heading to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, journalists asked Trump to comment on the language concerning Russia in the communiqué that might be adopted following the leaders’ meeting.

“I need to look at it. But I would like to see a deal with Russia. As you know, Vladimir (Putin, President of Russia — ed.) called me. He asked, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I responded, ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you.’ And I hope that we will be able to strike a deal with Russia,” the American leader said.

When asked whether he intends to meet with Zelensky, Trump replied, “Yes, I will probably see him.” Regarding what he might say to Zelensky, the U.S. president added, “I’ll ask, ‘How are you?’” He further commented: “Zelensky is in a difficult situation. He shouldn’t have found himself there,” emphasizing that the Ukrainian leader’s predicament was unfortunate.

Earlier, White House officials informed journalists that Trump plans to meet with Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit.

The NATO summit is scheduled for June 24-25 in The Hague. It is expected to be attended by around 45 heads of state and government, 45 foreign and defense ministers, and approximately 6,000 delegation members. A key agenda item is expected to be the decision to increase military spending among member states to 5% of GDP.