Trump Lauds ‘Very Brave’ Zelensky While Greeting Him at Mar-a-Lago Summit: ‘Rarely Has a Nation Had To Go Through This’

President Donald Trump had high praise for Volodymyr Zelensky when greeting the Ukrainian president for peace talks at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday.

It was a strikingly different tone than Trump took last spring when the president called Zelensky “A dictator without elections” who “better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.” This time, however, Trump acknowledged the death and destruction Ukraine has undergone at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“This gentleman has worked very hard. He’s very brave and his people are very brave,” Trump said to reporters gathered at the entrance to the president’s private club.

Trump continued:

What they have gone through — no nation — very rarely has a nation ever had to go through this. So, we will have a very good meeting today I think I’m also calling president Putin back after our meeting and will continue negotiations — pretty complex but not that complex.

When a reporter asked about meeting a New Year’s deadline, Trump answered, “I don’t have deadlines. You know what my deadline is? Getting the war ended. We don’t have deadlines.”

Earlier Sunday, Trump posted to Truth Social that he had a “very productive telephone call” with Putin.

Trump remained optimistic before he and Zelensky entered the club to begin their talks.

“I do believe we have the makings of a deal that would be good for everybody,” Trump said. “It’s very important for there’s nothing more important. I settled eight wars and this is the most difficult one. We are going to get it done. Going to have a great meeting today.”

Trump has been criticized for claiming Zelensky started the war, “despite Russia invading Ukraine first in 2014, five years before Zelensky won the presidency, and then launching a full-scale invasion in 2022,” according to the BBC.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

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