Ahead of US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral talks, Trump says 'I’m doing this more for Europe than for me'

US President Donald Trump speaks as he leaves after addressing a speech during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. (AFP image)

Ahead of the trilateral talks to be held between US, Russia and Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to bring an end to the nearly four-year-long war, President Donald Trump said sustained interaction was critical to any progress.

Underscoring the importance of direct engagement and expressing cautious hope that the dialogue could save lives, Trump said, "Anytime we meet, it’s good. If we don’t meet, nothing’s going to happen. In the first three years, nobody met. So we are meeting, and we’ll see what happens. I hope we can save a lot of lives, that’s all."

“Everybody’s making concessions to get it done. Europe is going to be a part of it. It’s more for Europe than for me. I mean, I’m doing this more for Europe than for me," Trump added, according to a report by News18.

“I’m doing it to save lives. I’m doing it for Europe. It doesn’t affect us very much. I have the ability to get things done like this, and we’ll see if I can get it done," he said, adding that the conflict did not significantly impact the United States.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Russia will engage in their first-ever trilateral discussions with the US in the UAE this weekend, as Kyiv steps up diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and rebuild its economy.

Zelenskyy's announcement on Thursday came after his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he emphasised ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a peace settlement and rebuild Ukraine's economy after the war.