US President Donald Trump praised Ukraine as “very brave” following a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday at an ongoing NATO summit, in what were some of Trump’s most positive remarks toward Kyiv since his reelection.
“We had a rough time, but he’s a nice guy actually,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy. Trump added that Washington would explore new air defense missiles for Ukraine: Securing more US support would represent a significant boost for Zelenskyy, whose relationship with Trump seemed almost unsalvagable after their public falling out in February.
Zelenskyy described the meeting as “long and substantive,” adding that they had discussed “how to achieve a ceasefire and a real peace.”
Trump said he would speak with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin soon about how to end the war, caveating that it was “possible” the Kremlin’s territorial ambitions stretched beyond Ukraine.