US President Donald Trump has admitted that he might be getting "played" by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he seeks to negotiate peace between Russia and
Ukraine. Asked on Friday if he was concerned that Putin was stringing him along on the peace deal, Trump acknowledged it was a possibility but said he was confident he could handle the Russian leader. He confessed that while he had been "played" all his life, he eventually came out well at handling things. "I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well," Trump said, according to AFP. "I think I'm pretty good at this stuff." "So, it's possible, a little time, it's alright. But I think that I'm pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal," he remarked. Trump has been attempting to broker a deal between the two nations for months, but a breakthrough has been elusive. He has urged both sides to "stop the war immediately" and implied that Moscow keep the territory it's taken from Kyiv. "You go by the battle line wherever it is — otherwise it's too complicated," Trump told reporters in Florida. "You stop at the battle line and both sides should go home, go to their families, stop the killing, and that should be it." Also Read: 'He Looks Beautiful': Trump Praises 'Stylish' Zelenskyy As He Suits Up For White House Meeting At his Friday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a key topic of discussion was Ukraine's request for long-range Tomahawk missiles, which could allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep inside Russian territory.
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Trump, however, indicated he is leaning against sending the missiles, citing the need to maintain US stockpiles and his hope that the war could end soon.
The US president has also announced plans to meet Putin in Budapest, Hungary, for further talks aimed at ending the war. It remains unclear if Zelenskyy will participate directly in the Budapest meeting, but Trump suggested a "double meeting" with both leaders could be a productive approach.
(With agency inputs)
