By Steve Holland
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Switzerland, adding that he felt Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin were now at a point where they could reach a deal to end the war.
Trump said he was dealing with Putin, who he said wanted to make a deal to end the nearly four-year-old war, adding that he thought Zelenskiy was also ready to reach an agreement.
Both leaders had backed away from an agreement before, but a deal was now “reasonably close,” Trump said in a discussion after his prepared remarks to world leaders and business executives in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump twice said he would meet with Zelenskiy later on Wednesday, a fact disputed by a source familiar with Zelenskiy’s schedule, but later said the meeting was planned for Thursday.
Ukraine will mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24.
Trump said he had expected to negotiate a deal to end the war sooner, but there was “abnormal hatred” between the two leaders. Last week, Trump told Reuters that Zelenskiy was the main impediment to reaching an agreement.
On Wednesday, he said Washington was getting closer to brokering a ceasefire agreement.
“I think I can say that we’re reasonably close,” he said. “We have to get it stopped … I believe they’re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don’t, they’re stupid.”
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea ShalalEditing by Rod Nickel)
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