The US president has dodged questions about support for Kiev during a press conference at the NATO summit

US President Donald Trump has denied discussing a Ukraine ceasefire during his meeting with Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, directly contradicting the Ukrainian leader's earlier remarks.

Zelensky had described the meeting as "long and substantive," claiming the two leaders had discussed ways to "achieve a real peace."

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said the topic was not part of the conversation. "No, no, I just... wanted to know how he's doing," he said.

Trump added that he planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of bringing the conflict to an end, though he did not specify when the conversation might take place.

When pressed on his past claim that he could end the war within 24 hours, Trump said the comment had been "sarcastic." He acknowledged that resolving the conflict would not be easy, describing Putin as "more difficult" than anticipated and admitting he "had some problems with Zelensky" as well.

Asked if the US would contribute to the $5 billion in military aid pledged to Ukraine by other NATO countries, Trump reiterated only that the conflict must end.

In another exchange, a BBC Ukraine journalist asked whether the US would sell Patriot missile systems to Ukraine. Trump replied that the systems were "very hard to get" and that the US also needed them. He noted that Washington was supplying Patriots to Israel but would "see if we can make some available."

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly called for a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Earlier this week, he said he hoped to reach a "deal with Russia" to stop the fighting.

Moscow has maintained that it is willing to hold talks "without preconditions," but insists that any lasting agreement must reflect the current battlefield realities and Ukraine's neutrality.

(RT.com)