Trump says he had good talks with Putin and Zelenskiy - Finance news and analysis from Global Banking & Finance Review
Finance

Trump says he had good talks with Putin and Zelenskiy

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review

Posted on June 17, 2026

2 min read

· Last updated: June 17, 2026

Add as preferred source on Google

Trump says he had good talks with Putin and Zelenskiy

Trump's Discussions and U.S. Policy at the G7 Summit

Meetings with Putin and Zelenskiy

EVIAN, France, June 17 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he has had good talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in France.

Ukraine's Position at the G7

Zelenskiy and his European allies came to this week's G7 summit in the French lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains hoping to impress upon Trump that Ukraine's battlefield fortunes had improved thanks to its drone incursions deep into Russia.

Trump's Comments on the Ukraine Conflict

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, Trump did not want to say if he thought Putin was more responsible for the conflict in Ukraine. "Well, I don't want to comment on that, because I'm trying to get it settled, and that doesn't make it easy."

U.S. Missiles in Europe

Trump said Ukraine's wish to build U.S. missiles in Europe would be considered.

Potential for U.S. Missile Deployment

“They would like to be able to do that. We'll take a look at it,” he said.

Sanctions on Russian Oil

The U.S. Treasury on Wednesday did not publish an extension of its waiver of sanctions on Russian seaborne oil that ran out at midnight, but Trump administration officials did not immediately say whether it meant sanctions on Russian oil had been re-imposed.

Possibility of Re-imposing Sanctions

Asked if Russian sanctions would be re-imposed, Trump told reporters: "We are looking at that, we're seeing how far the price of oil comes down, it's, it's really tumbling."

Reporting Credits

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal, Katharine Jackson and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Michelle Nichols )

Key Takeaways

  • Trump said he had “very good” conversations on June 14 and 15, 2026 with both President Putin and President Zelenskiy during G7 summit preparations and hoped that “maybe we could do something” to end the war (pravda.com.ua).
  • Trump stressed that both leaders were “open to it” and indicated Russia should make peace, while signaling U.S. willingness to support resolution efforts (eldebate.com).
  • Amid these talks, the G7 collectively endorsed steps to ramp up sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas sectors, strengthen support for Ukraine’s defense, and monitor declining oil prices—areas Trump referenced as key considerations (internazionale.it)

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump discuss with Putin and Zelenskiy at the G7 meeting?
Trump said he had good talks with both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
Did Trump comment on who is more responsible for the Ukraine conflict?
Trump declined to comment on whether Putin was more responsible for the conflict, saying he was focused on seeking a resolution.
Will the United States impose more sanctions on Russia?
Trump was non-committal about imposing new sanctions on Russia, stating the U.S. is monitoring oil prices before making a decision.
Why did Zelenskiy and European allies attend the G7 summit?
They aimed to highlight Ukraine's improved battlefield position and the effectiveness of its drone strikes deep into Russia.
Where did the G7 meeting take place?
The G7 meeting was held in Evian-les-Bains, a lakeside resort in France.

Tags

Related Articles

More from Finance

Explore more articles in the Finance category