Donald Trump caught on hot mic revealing what he really thinks of Putin

Alsharq Tribune- Daily Express

Donald Trump was overheard on a 'hot mic' revealing his true feelings about Vladimir Putin. The incident occurred at the start of a multilateral meeting between Trump, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and a group of European leaders, including Keir Starmer.

As attendees were still gathering, he seemed to be conversing with French President Emmanuel Macron. He was caught on an open microphone stating: "I think he wants to make a deal for me.

"Do you understand? As crazy as it sounds.", reports the Mirror.

This follows the US welcoming Russia's dictator at a summit in Alaska.

Earlier, Trump suggested that US troops might play a role in maintaining peace in Ukraine if a ceasefire could be achieved.

During a Q&A with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, the US President did not dismiss the idea of deploying troops to the country.

And he hinted that it would be a topic of discussion at this afternoon's crucial talks with European leaders

When asked if he would rule out such a deployment, the president said, "We'll let you know that, maybe, later today.

"We're meeting with seven great leaders of great countries, also, and we'll be talking about that.

"They'll all be involved," he added. "When it comes to security, there's going to be a lot of help."

When questioned about "Nato-like protection" for Ukraine - a concept previously suggested by his envoy Steve Witkoff - Trump confirmed the US would "help them out with that", referring to European leaders.

Trump declared: "I don't know if you define it that way, but Nato-like? I mean, we're going to give, we have people waiting in another room right now, they're all here, from Europe.

"Biggest people in Europe.

"And they want to give protection, they feel very strongly about it, and we'll help them out with that."

Expectations for the discussions had been pessimistic following Trump's Truth Social post this morning outlining a series of demands for Ukraine - which aligned with many of Russia's requirements.

These included "forgetting" about Nato membership, and ruling out returning Crimea from Russia to Ukraine.

However, the Oval Office encounter proceeded without incident - and proved far less dramatic than their catastrophic previous White House meeting.

Trump suggested that US military personnel participating in peacekeeping operations remained under consideration - alongside a "NATO style" security assurance.

Both Trump and Zelensky expressed readiness for a three-way summit with Russia's brutal dictator, Vladimir Putin.

When asked by a journalist whether it marked the "end of the road" for American backing of Ukraine should no agreement be reached, Trump responded it's "never the end of the road.

"People are being killed and we want to stop that. So I would not say it's the end of the road," Trump declared as Zelenskyy sat beside him shaking his head at the question.

He added that there is a "good chance" of ending the conflict through these discussions. "I know the president, I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it end," Trump stated.

Trump revealed he was going to speak to Putin as soon as this afternoon's meetings conclude.