‘I’m not aligned with anybody,’ Trump defends stance on Russia-Ukraine peace talks

Trump acknowledged the deep animosity between Zelensky and Putin, saying, “You see the hatred he’s got for Putin — that’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate.”

U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back against concerns that he aligns himself too closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that his approach is aimed at securing peace between Russia and Ukraine.

“Well, if I didn’t align myself with both of them, you’d never have a deal. You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, ‘Hi, Vladimir. How are we doing on the deal?’ It doesn’t work that way,” Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, according to a report by CNN. “I’m not aligned with Putin. I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States of America, and for the good of the world, I’m aligned with the world, and I want to get this thing over with.”

Trump’s remarks came as he sought to clarify his stance on the ongoing conflict and his strategy for brokering peace. According to the report by CNN, Trump acknowledged the deep animosity between Zelensky and Putin, saying, “You see the hatred he’s got for Putin — that’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate.”

Reaffirming his broader diplomatic approach, Trump added, “I’m aligned with the world. I’m aligned with Europe. I want to see if we get this done.”