Axios: Trump's meeting with Zelensky "was not easy"

The meeting of US President Donald Trump with Vladimir Zelensky at the White House was not easy, the American leader was tough, the Axios portal reports, citing sources.

"One of the sources stated that the meeting "was not easy," and the other even said that "it went badly," the portal's material says.

According to one of the sources, Trump made several "harsh statements" during the meeting with Zelensky, at some moments the meeting was "quite emotional."

"No one was shouting, but Trump was tough," said another agency interlocutor.

According to the newspaper, Trump stressed that the current US proposal for a diplomatic solution to the conflict is for it to end with the freezing of the front lines, which is hard for Ukraine to accept.

On Friday, Trump met with Zelensky in Washington.

On Thursday, the American leader had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow has previously stated that the option of freezing the Ukrainian conflict through a military clash is unacceptable for Russia. Putin, during a direct line in December 2024, stated that Russia does not need a truce, but a lasting peace, provided with reliable security guarantees for the country and its citizens.

In June 2024, Putin came up with initiatives for a peaceful settlement of the conflict on Ukraine: Moscow will immediately cease fire and declare its readiness for negotiations after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territory of the new regions of Russia. In addition, the Russian leader added, Kiev should declare its rejection of intentions to join NATO, it should conduct demilitarization and denazification, as well as accept a neutral, non-aligned and nuclear-free status. Putin also mentioned in this context the lifting of sanctions against the Russian Federation.