White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt responded on Tuesday when a New York Times reporter, Sean McLeash, questioned why President Donald Trump didn’t call Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with other European leaders.
Trump had a conversation with Putin on Monday after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and various European officials, aiming to arrange a trilateral meeting that would include both Putin and Zelensky. Leavitt didn’t directly engage with McLeash’s inquiry about why Trump didn’t make the call while the leaders were present.
“If it’s crucial to get everyone on the same page, why not make the call when the other leaders are in the room? He mentioned it’s rude, but isn’t that a bit odd?” McLeash asked. Leavitt replied, “Respectfully, only New York Times reporters would ask that question. The president met with all those European leaders just 48 hours after being on American soil. The readout to these leaders came shortly after the meeting with Putin.”
Leavitt then shared a statement from a European leader who commended Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Zelensky described the conversation with Trump as “very good,” while NATO’s executive director, Jens Stoltenberg, labeled Trump a “practical peacemaker” and termed the White House meeting a “very successful day” in an interview with Fox News.
“Leaders who are facing this war directly are thankful that this president took the call and shared Russia’s perspective with them. That never happened under the previous administration,” Leavitt added.
Trump had also spoken to Zelensky following his meeting with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. During that session, Trump met with Putin for three hours and expressed hope that peace deals could be forged between Russia and Ukraine.
In May, the president stated that peace negotiations would start after a two-hour call with Putin, though the Russian leader appeared reluctant to engage with Ukraine. Later, in July, Trump warned of “severe” tariffs and sanctions on Russia if it didn’t participate in talks within 50 days, later shortening that deadline to July 28.
As part of his 2024 campaign, Trump has advocated for peace between Russia and Ukraine, asserting that it wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership of former President Joe Biden.
