Trump to call Putin after meeting Zelensky

The US president has said he will contact his Russian counterpart following a series of meetings with Vladimir Zelensky and Western European leaders.

US President Donald Trump has said that he intends to call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the immediate aftermath of his meetings in Washington with Vladimir Zelensky and his Western European backers.

Zelensky and Western European leaders are meeting with Trump and his team at the White House, days after Trump’s historic summit with Putin in Alaska on Friday, which both sides described as “warm” and “constructive.”

“He’s expecting my call when we’re finished with this meeting,” Trump told media, before going into talks with Zelensky. A second meeting with Zelensky and the leaders of France, the UK, Italy, Poland, Finland and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled for later in the day.

Zelensky’s last visit to the White House ended in disgrace, after he was accused of being disrespectful and told by the Trump that “he does not hold the cards.” This time he is wearing a dark suit but no tie.