On Newsmax Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed that President Donald Trump remains committed to achieving peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, emphasizing his direct engagement with world leaders.
Leavitt emphasized Trump's recent conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"It was certainly a big news day on the Russia-Ukraine war front," Leavitt said in an interview on "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
"The president was very transparent in revealing to the media, but most importantly to the American people, that he had a direct conversation with Putin. He also spoke following that call with President Zelenskyy, who he's been in close correspondence with since the election."
Leavitt said, "President Trump's end goal has always been and will always be peace in Ukraine and also in the Middle East."
"President Trump is a peacemaker," she continued. "He's a dealmaker, and he has appointed an exceptional team of individuals who are highly qualified and have proven to be great dealmakers themselves to continue with these negotiations."
Trump spoke with Putin earlier Wednesday, marking the first publicly disclosed call between the two leaders since Trump took office. He later spoke with Zelenskyy, focusing on efforts to negotiate an end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
"We ultimately expect to meet," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "In fact, we expect that he'll come here, and I'll go there, and we're going to meet also, probably in Saudi Arabia. The first time we'll meet in Saudi Arabia," The Hill reported.
Trump's diplomatic approach sharply contrasts with that of his predecessor.
Former President Joe Biden met with Putin only once during his term, at the 2021 Geneva summit.
Before that meeting, Biden and Putin had met only once in Moscow in 2011.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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