US President Trump: The war in Gaza must end

US President Donald Trump answered questions from members of the press following his meeting at the White House with South Korean leader, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

Stating first that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should come together, Trump reiterated his remark that "it takes two to tango." Trump said, "As you can understand, they are not on very good terms, and I am sure this will be a meeting that happens, perhaps reluctantly.

Putin was also not happy about coming to the US; this was a major concession on his part, and I am grateful that he did it. You know, I have always had a very good relationship with him. Despite the fake 'Russia, Russia, Russia' witch hunt, we had a great relationship, we have very good relations, and we have a strong relationship with Russia. This is not a bad thing; this is a very good thing. Getting along with Kim Jong-un is also a good thing. Including President Lee. It is nice to get along, and I get along well with foreign leaders," he said.

Emphasizing his belief that he will resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said, "I don't know if they will meet. Maybe they will meet, maybe they won't. They want to see me at the meeting too. I told them, 'You handle it, this is between you,'" he stated. Noting that 7,109 soldiers were killed in the war in Ukraine last week, Trump said, "These are both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers. What a great waste of life and humanity," he said.

Trump said, "I had a very good relationship with Putin, and I thought it would be very easy to stop this war, but it wasn't. It is very complicated. It is a very personal matter from their perspective. There is a great deal of animosity between the two men, and we will have to fix that. But first, I want them to meet. They want me to be at the meeting. Maybe I will be there, maybe I won't, we will see. But I want them to resolve these differences first because, ultimately, this is a matter between them. If that happens, I think we will reach an end," he said.

"THERE COULD BE VERY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR RUSSIA"

Answering a question about whether there would be consequences for Russia if the Russian and Ukrainian leaders do not meet, Trump said, "We will see what happens. There could be very serious consequences because this is something that must end," he said. Stating that there has not been a war like this since World War II, Trump said, "We are facing a brand new type of war. This is a drone war. There has never been a war like this before," he said. Trump added, "We will see what happens in the next two weeks. At that point, I will step in very strongly, and I will be there if necessary. Either there will be a deal or there won't, but many people are dying, and I want this to end as soon as possible," he said.

"I LOOK FORWARD TO IT"

In response to a question about the possibility of meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump said, "I would like to meet with him. I get along great with him, you know, you were there too. We even held a press conference. This was Kim Jong-un's first press conference. It was a slightly different situation. I asked him, 'Have you ever held a press conference before?' and he said, 'No.' And you know what, he did a great job. It was truly an excellent press conference. It was even a historic event," he said.

Trump said, "I would like to meet with him this year. I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un at an appropriate time," he said. Expressing that he is open to continuing trade talks with South Korea during the meeting at the White House, Trump encouraged the visiting president to engage in dialogue with North Korea.

Speaking in Korean at the press conference, visiting President Lee said he hopes Trump will bring peace to Korea. Stating that US President Trump could meet with Kim Jong-un in this way and build a Trump World real estate complex in North Korea, Lee said, "Thus, you can truly take on a role as the architect of peace in world history," he said.

"THE WAR IN GAZA MUST END"

When asked whether he had discussed what is happening in Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and whether he confirms the events in Gaza, where the United Nations has declared a famine, Trump said, "I speak with Netanyahu quite often, and we have achieved great success regarding Iran. We eliminated the nuclear threat. If they had nuclear weapons, it would be a total disaster, and they would have used that weapon. We did a very good job on that. Now they are talking about Gaza. There is always a topic on the agenda. At some point, this will be resolved, and I am saying you have to solve this, and you have to solve it very soon," he said.

Mentioning that people are being killed in Gaza in addition to the hunger, Trump said, "This business must end now."

Trump said, "I think we will reach a fairly definitive, clear conclusion within the next two to three weeks. It is not easy to say this because the war has been going on there for centuries, perhaps millennia. It has always been a hot spot. But I think we are doing a very good job. This business must end, yes, it absolutely must end," he said.

News Source: İHA