Trump says Putin has captured Ukrainian territory and will keep it

Trump was asked whether he felt Putin was ready or open to the idea of ending the war without taking significant parts of Ukraine. He responded:

"Well, he's gonna take something. I mean, they fought and he has a lot a lot of property... He's won a certain property," Trump said.

The US President also said he cannot provide all the weapons Ukraine wants because Washington needs them for itself. He added that he cannot put the United States at risk.

"We can't give all of our weapons to Ukraine. We just can't do that. I've been very good to President Zelensky and to Ukraine, but we can't give. If we're going to be sure, I don't want to do that. I can't jeopardize the United States," Trump concluded.

Trump urges the frontline pause, Putin hints at concessions

Earlier this week, Trump held phone talks with Putin and also met with Zelenskyy. Shortly after his conversation with Putin, Trump announced a new bilateral summit in Budapest, with ending the war in Ukraine as the key issue.

After meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump posted a message calling on Ukraine and Russia to stop where each side currently stands — essentially along the current front line.

Zelenskyy spoke with the press after leaving the White House and supported Trump's call to halt advances along the front line.

On October 18, The Washington Post reported that during his conversation with Trump, Putin allegedly expressed readiness to withdraw troops from the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. However, in exchange, he demands full control over the Donetsk region.