Washington, August 25, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin has no desire to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky simply because he “doesn’t like him.”
“Some people I don’t like, I don’t want to meet with them. Sometimes I do it anyway,” Trump told reporters after signing executive orders at the White House. “The truth is, they don’t like each other,” he added, referring to Putin and Zelensky.
Trump reiterated his position that the war in Ukraine would not have happened if he were president instead of Joe Biden, whom he accused of winning through election fraud. “Putin even said if I were president, this wouldn’t have happened,” Trump stressed.
Earlier, Putin confirmed at a press conference in Anchorage, Alaska — following his August 15 summit with Trump — that he agrees with this assessment. The two leaders met for three hours, discussing primarily the Ukraine conflict and possible steps toward peace.
