President Donald Trump was caught whispering to French President Emmanuel Macron on a hot mic before a White House meeting with European leaders Monday on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Unbeknownst to Trump, his microphone was still on as he told Macron about something “crazy.”
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met with Trump Friday in Alaska, the President seemed to brag to Macron about the meeting.
“I think he [Putin] wants to make a deal,” Trump murmured to Macron ahead of the closed-door summit with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven other European leaders in the East Room. “I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.”
Trump was then sounding unsure about what Putin might do, but the former “The Apprentice” reality TV star previously had been anything but uncertain when it comes to ending the war between the two nations. In fact, during the 2024 presidential campaign Trump boasted he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office if he won another term. The war is still raging on.
The high-stakes meeting followed Trump’s summit with Putin in Anchorage last week. The two leaders met for about two and a half hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. They held a joint news conference afterward but did not take any questions.
“I’ve known him for a long time, I’ve always had a great relationship with him,” Trump said. “I think President Putin wants to find an answer, too. We’ll see.”
Although Trump bragged about making progress and his relationship with Putin, he didn’t get what he wanted: a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, or at least a promise to begin negotiations in hopes of reaching one.
Trump said he and Putin made significant progress but he did not reveal any details and instead conceded that “we haven’t quite got there.”
“I believe we had a very productive meeting,” the American president said. “We haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway. So, there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Meantime, Zelenskyy described the talks with Trump on Monday as “truly a significant step toward ending the war.”
Both he, Trump and the other leaders expressed support for direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin, something Trump also mentioned after his meeting with Putin but which the Russian president has repeatedly dodged.
News reports indicate a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin would be followed by another with Trump.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is “ready” for a trilateral discussion. Trump remarked, “I think it’s going to be when, not if,” ABC News reported.
As the White House meeting was underway Monday, Putin wasted no time showing how he felt about it. He bombarded Ukraine in an attack on the country’s energy infrastructure, the largest barrage since late July.
Ukraine’s air force said Moscow fired 270 drones and 10 missiles into the country, of which 30 drones and six missiles were intercepted or suppressed, according to ABC News. The air force reported 40 drones and four missiles impacted 16 locations, with debris reportedly falling in three locations.
Putin’s contratrian move makes it easy to criticize Trump’s often lauded dealmaking skills. One critic call him “the most easily manipulated president in US history.”
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