Ukraine relations, Vladimir Putin, Trump Putin call, Ukraine diplomacy, White House news, Politico reporter, Trump news. Photo: X.
US President Donald Trump created an unusual moment during his Sunday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asking reporters if they “would like to have food” or if it might be considered a bribe.
The leaders met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to advance peace negotiations, nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The roundtable included US officials and a Ukrainian delegation led by Zelenskyy, with journalists present to observe the discussions.
During the session, Trump directly addressed the press, while other officials remained silent.
“I think you could sit outside and have some food,” Trump said, then asked, “Would you like to have food or do you consider that a bribe, and therefore you cannot write honestly?”
Also Read: Key Points From Trump-Zelenskyy Mar-a-Lago Meeting: Issues Remaining In Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
He later asked his special assistant, Margo Martin, to take the reporters outside so his chef could “serve them a good lunch,” joking to officials at the table that the journalists’ reporting would still be negative regardless.
According to reports, Politico reporter Alex Gangitano confirmed that attending journalists were served a spread including “sliced steak, pigs in a blanket, coconut shrimp, fries, chocolate chip cookies and Trump-branded water bottles.” They were seated at small round tables on the club’s patio.
This was Zelenskyy’s third visit to the United States this year for peace negotiations. Trump revealed that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the summit, describing the conversation as “productive.” He added that he would call Putin again after meeting with Zelenskyy.
Ahead of the summit, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, “These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year. We are doing everything we can to make this happen, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners. It depends on those who help Ukraine and those who put pressure on Russia.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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