President Trump doesn’t think Putin and Zelenskyy will sit down together anytime soon. The two leaders aren’t ready, he told the Daily Caller in a 29 August interview.

When asked whether trilateral negotiations involving himself, Zelensky, and Putin would proceed, Trump indicated that timing remains uncertain.

“Sometimes people are not ready for this,” the president stated, according to the Daily Caller report.

Trump employed his previous analogy comparing the two leaders to children in conflict, describing them as figures who “hate each other” on a playground, swinging and fighting until exhaustion forces them to stop.

“Sometimes they have to fight a little before you can make them stop. But this has been going on for a long time. A lot of people are dead,” Trump said.

This marks a shift from Trump’s earlier confidence. After meeting Putin in Alaska on 15 August, he “really thought” the war could end quickly. Not anymore. Ukraine and Russia may need to “fight a little more” first.

Earlier, Trump rated his three-hour meeting with Putin in Alaska a perfect 10 out of 10, despite no deal being reached to end the Russo-Ukrainian war. He emphasized that the meeting went well personally, saying, “We got along great,” but acknowledged that not all issues were settled and there was no agreement on reaching peace anytime soon. 

No American troops for Ukraine as security guarantee

The president also ruled out American boots on Ukrainian soil as part of any peace deal. But he outlined a different kind of commitment—possible air support to help end the fighting.

He noted that European forces would handle most operations, with American assistance. 

European officials are actively working on plans to deploy British and French troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees following any ceasefire, known as the “Coalition of the willing,” with about ten countries ready to participate.

The European plan involves two stages: initially, European troops would be stationed away from frontlines to train Ukrainian forces and provide reinforcements, acting as military advisors rather than a symbolic presence.

Next, the US would contribute intelligence sharing, border monitoring, additional weapons, and possibly air defense systems, continuing to supply military aid through European partners even without direct American troop deployment.

Zelenskyy previously rejected Trump’s playground metaphor with sharp words:

Putin is “a killer who came to this park to kill children.”