A hot mic caught President Trump whispering something he called “crazy” as he, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven European leaders prepared for a closed-door meeting at the White House to talk about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I think he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] wants to make a deal,” Trump whispered to French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room. “I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.”
The remark, suggesting that Trump feels Putin wants to please him, provided further insight into the US president’s assessment of his Friday meeting with the Kremlin tyrant in Anchorage, Alaska.
Trump and special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff — both of whom took part in Friday’s summit — have claimed to have succeeded in getting Putin to agree to US and other NATO forces coming to Ukraine’s defense should Moscow break any terms in a potential peace deal.
“We sort of were able to … get an agreement that the, that the United States could offer [NATO] Article 5-like protection, which is the first time we had ever heard … the Russians agree to that,” Witkoff told CNN “State of the Union” co-host Jake Tapper on Sunday.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte congratulated Trump on the agreement Monday, noting it was a “big step” for the US to offer such support alongside its European partners.
“The fact that you have said, ‘I’m willing to participate in security guarantees’ is a big step — is really a breakthrough, and it makes all the difference,” the former Dutch prime minister said. “Thank you for that.”
But as news of the European leaders celebrating Trump’s success reached Moscow, the Kremlin tried to walk back Putin’s pledge to the US president.
“We reaffirm our repeatedly stated position on our categorical rejection of any scenarios that envisage the appearance in Ukraine of a military contingent with the participation of NATO countries,” the Russian Foreign Ministry told Kremlin-owned news agency Ria Novosti.
However, Putin himself has yet to issue a statement on the matter.
Trump called Putin after the meetings with Zelensky and the European leaders to begin setting up a meeting between the two belligerents, which would be followed by a trilateral including the US president, he said in a Truth Social post.
“Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years,” Trump wrote in his post. “…Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine.”
