Zelenskyy calls talks with Trump "long and substantive", backs trilateral meeting with Russia

Kyiv [Ukraine], August 16 (ANI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday described his talks with US President Donald Trump as "long and substantive", underlining Ukraine's commitment to peace and close coordination with international partners.
"We started with one-on-one talks before inviting European leaders to join us. This call lasted for more than an hour and a half, including about an hour of our bilateral conversation with President Trump," Zelenskyy said.
He added, "Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace. President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion. It is important that America's strength has an impact on the development of the situation."
Supporting Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia, Zelenskyy said, "Key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this."
He announced, "On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation. It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America."
Zelenskyy added, "We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine's security. We continue to coordinate our positions with all partners. I thank everyone who is helping."
The remarks came after US President Trump said on Friday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a "productive" meeting aimed at reducing the human toll of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Trump said thousands of lives could be saved weekly if both sides acted. "We're going to stop, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 people a week from being killed, and President Putin wants to see that as much as I do," the US President said.
He added that while several points were agreed upon, a few key issues remain unresolved. "There's no deal until we have a deal...I'll, of course, call up President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and tell him about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them," Trump said.
Trump praised officials from both sides and highlighted his longstanding rapport with Putin, noting that the 'Russia hoax' had complicated relations but expressed optimism about reaching a meaningful decision.
"Some points are not that significant. One is probably the most significant but we have a very good chance of getting there...Let's do the most productive one right now," he said. (ANI)