"In pretty strong words". Trump talks about call with Europe and possible meeting with Zelenskiy

The head of the United States Donald Trump reported on a complex discussion of the settlement of the Russian war against Ukraine during a call with European colleagues, adding that they proposed to hold a meeting with the participation of the Americans and the president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the near future. He made this statement during a public event that broadcast The White House.

Trump said that he and French president Emmanuel Macron, prime minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer and the German chancellor Friedrich Merz "discussed Ukraine in pretty strong words," adding that the US "is waiting for answers before moving forward."

When asked what exactly was discussed during the call, the US president replied: "We had some small disputes about people. And we'll see how that plays out." He did not specify what exactly he was talking about.

The US leader also said that the partners would like to hold a meeting in Europe this weekend (December 13-14). He noted that the United States would decide whether to participate, "depending on what they [the Europeans] come back with."

"We don't want to waste time. Sometimes you need to give people the opportunity to fight, and sometimes not. But the problem is that by giving people the opportunity to fight, you lose thousands of people a week. It's pointless. The whole thing is pointless," Trump said.

He added that the Europeans offered to meet with both Zelenskyy and the Americans.

Among other things, the US president said that Zelenskyy "has to be realistic" and reiterated the need to hold elections in Ukraine. In particular, he referred to alleged polling data showing that 82% of Ukrainians want a peace agreement. Trump did not specify where the data came from. He also mentioned corruption in Ukraine again.

UPDATED. Unnamed Ukrainian and American officials told Axios that Kyiv has provided the US administration with its point-by-point response on the latest draft of the Washington's peace plan.

• On the evening of December 10, Zelenskyy said that he had discussed with representatives of the Verkhovna Rada holding elections during the war. Earlier, he called on the United States to ensure appropriate security conditions for voting.