US President Donald Trump has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach a negotiated peace agreement with Russia, redoubling public pressure on Kiev even as Moscow presses ahead with the war that launched four years ago.
"We want Zelensky to make a deal. He can make a deal. He could have made a deal two years ago when we had our little chat in the Oval Office," Trump told reporters, referring to an acrimonious February 2025 meeting with Vice President JD Vance and the Ukrainian leader.
"He's going to have to want to make a deal, because I don't think his people are going to stand for it any longer."
Trump also revealed he had directly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, an elderly American citizen captured by Russian forces in Ukraine.
"I've been talking to President Putin about Mr Hubbard. I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release him. Let's see what happens," Trump said, adding: "Just you remember that question a couple of days from now, because I do things that nobody else can do."
Oslo diplomatic talks
Diplomatic relations between Washington and Kiev have deteriorated markedly in recent months following Trump's decision to partially lift sanctions against Moscow to secure a Russian diesel-supply arrangement, alongside his condemnation of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian fuel refineries.
Zelenskyy met US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday in an effort to defuse the growing rift.
Following the discussions, the Ukrainian leader welcomed the restoration of US intelligence sharing on imminent Russian aerial barrages but reiterated that Kiev must not be sidelined in international discussions determining Ukraine's sovereignty.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held "very productive and constructive discussions" with envoys from US President Donald Trump in Oslo on Tuesday, a US official told AFP.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will now meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, participating virtually, the official said.
