"Going to see if Putin, Zelenskyy will be working together...it's like oil and vinegar": Trump

Washington DC [US], August 23 : US President Donald Trump said on Friday (local time) compared the challenge of arranging a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to mixing "oil and vinegar" at The People's House Exhibit.

Oil and vinegar don't mix well due to their differing chemical properties; oil is hydrophobic (water-repelling) while vinegar is hydrophilic (water-attracting).

Trump expressed his desire to see the two leaders work together to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has resulted in significant loss of life, with an estimated 7,000 people, mostly soldiers, being killed per week.

Trump, during his gaggle with the press, said, "We're going to see if Putin and Zelenskyy will be working together. You know, it's like oil and vinegar a little bit. They don't get along too well for obvious reasons, but we'll see. And then we'll see whether I need to be there. I'd rather not. I'd rather they have a meeting to see how they can do. But in the meantime, they continue to fight and they continue to kill people, which is very stupid because they're losing 7,000 people. I used to tell you five, now they're losing 7,000 people a week. Think of that, they're losing 7,000 people on average a week. Mostly soldiers," he said.

Trump has expressed his willingness to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, stating he has stopped seven wars in the past and is determined to end this conflict.

"So, we want to see if we could stop it. I've stopped seven wars. I want to make this one I thought would have been in the middle of the pack in terms of difficulty, and it's turning out to be the most difficult," he said.

Trump has accused both sides of not being sincere or ready to negotiate in good faith, with Putin questioning Zelenskyy's credibility and legitimacy as a leader.

Trump warned that if a deal isn't made and he thinks Russia is at fault, he'll impose secondary sanctions on Russia, including a 25-50% tariff on Russian oil.

Putin has expressed readiness to meet with Zelenskyy to discuss a possible deal to end the war, provided there's a proper agenda for the session.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said there is no agenda for a potential summit between Putin and Zelenskyy and that there is no plan for such a meeting, Al Jazeera reported.

Lavrov said on Friday that Putin had made clear he was ready to meet Zelenskyy to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine, provided there was a proper agenda for such a session, something he said was lacking for now.

Both Russia and Ukraine are trying to show US President Donald Trump that they are ready to try to strike a peace deal, something the US leader has said he wants to broker, while accusing the other of not being sincere or ready to negotiate in good faith, as per Al Jazeera.

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