Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine, Russia, US News, Politics
Ella Scott
Topics: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine, Russia, US News, Politics
Donald Trump is reportedly set to make an announcement from the White House this afternoon, with the contents of the speech remaining under wraps for now.
It’s been 214 days since Trump, 79, returned to Washington D.C., resuming his role as President of the United States.
Since then, the businessman and father-of-five has renamed the Gulf of America to the Gulf of Mexico, been mocked in episodes of South Park and ‘specifically requested’ that the Mexican border wall be painted black.
He announced reciprocal tariffs in the White House Rose Garden, talked about graphs in the Oval Office, and is now due to make another announcement in the capital today at 12:00pm ET (5pm UK time).
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The subject of the President’s upcoming speech is currently unknown, but it is understood to be held in the Oval Office, as per Newsweek.
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The publication also stated that the address will be televised.
Trump’s impending speech comes just days after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, to discuss how the Russia-Ukraine conflict could cease.
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The UK Prime Minister called the meeting on August 19 a ‘breakthrough’ while the Republican told reporters that he thought the war was a ‘tough one’ to solve.
Trump added that perhaps Russian leader Vladimir Putin was not interested in ending the fighting at all.
"We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks," he said on Tuesday. "It's possible that he doesn't want to make a deal.”
Before the meeting with Zelensky, Trump headed to Alaska to chat with Putin.
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The pair were snapped on the runway of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military facility, shaking hands and smiling before heading off together in the former’s armoured limousine.
This subsequent chat saw Putin praising the ‘constructive atmosphere of mutual respect’ of the ‘neighbourly’ talks before referring to the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war as a ‘situation’.
Trump and Putin have since spoken on the phone for 40 minutes, reportedly discussing plans for a summit between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine at a yet-to-be-revealed location, as per the Daily Star.
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Of this call, the US President said: “This was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
He claimed that if the meeting does go ahead, then he, Zelenskyy and Putin have a ‘good chance of ending the war’.
"When it comes to security, there's going to be a lot of help. They are a first line of defence because they're there, but we'll help them out.”