Trump Calls On Putin To Reach Deal With Ukraine After Zelenskyy Meeting

Authored by Emel Akan via The Epoch Times,

U.S. President Donald Trump kicked off his G7 summit meetings on June 16 in the French spa town of Evian-les-Bains, joining a roundtable discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other G7 leaders.

"We had a very good meeting," Trump told reporters after the meeting. "Russia should make a deal. Russia has lost tremendous amounts of people and so has Ukraine."

Before the roundtable, Trump confirmed he also had a private discussion with Zelenskyy.

"I'm meeting with him again later on today," he added.

Trump made these comments during his bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

"I'm going to do whatever I can," Trump said, to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump said he wants to focus on Ukraine now, saying Iran will soon be "back in the rearview mirror."

Leaders of the world's seven largest advanced economies have gathered in Evian-les-Bains, a lakeside town in eastern France, from June 15 to June 17 for their annual summit.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine is stronger now than it was at last year's G7 summit in Canada.

"Ukraine is in a different position," von der Leyen said at a press conference in Evian on June 15. "Ukraine is holding the frontline and even partially regaining territory."

She also praised the speed at which Ukraine was becoming a top producer of advanced military equipment.

"On the other hand, Russia is feeling the strain and pressure. Our sanctions are biting and cutting deep," she added.

In August 2025, Trump invited Putin to a meeting in Alaska to discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. However, the meeting ended with no breakthrough.

Before heading to France, Trump said he had spoken separately with both Putin and Zelenskyy on the phone on June 15.

"We had a very good conversation yesterday with President Zelenskiy and President Putin, and I think maybe we can do something there," he said following his bilateral meeting with Macron on June 15. "I really do. I think they're both open to it."

He said that now the Iran deal is finalized, "we're going to be focusing on that."

On June 15, Ukraine officially began European Union membership negotiations, launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of political reforms even as it fights the Russian invasion.

Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once the war ends.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.