War Update: Trump Swipes at Zelensky During Talks With Italian Leader – ‘Not a Big Fan’ (2025)

A press conference on Thursday focused on a tariff deal with the EU, as US President Donald Trump hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, went a little off track when Trump was asked about negotiations with Ukraine on a natural resources deal.

Trump backtracked on his previous comments about the Ukrainian leader, clarifying that he does not hold President Volodymyr Zelensky responsible for Russia’s invasion, but felt compelled to criticize him, again, nonetheless.

“I don’t hold Zelensky responsible, but I’m not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started,” Trump said at the White House, sitting alongside Meloni, who herself has held steadfast, if relatively quiet, support for Kyiv.

“I’m not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn’t say he’s done the greatest job, OK? I am not a big fan,” Trump said.

Zelensky earlier this week invited Trump to visit Ukraine to see the devastation the Kremlin has wrought in its war, in a Sunday interview with CBS that Trump did not like, responding with legal threats against the network.

For her part, Meloni told reporters that “we’ve been defending freedom of Ukraine together. Together we can build a just and lasting peace.”

Turning to Trump, she added, “We support your efforts.”

The American president then added some details on a memorandum of intent signed Thursday between US and Ukrainian negotiators. The final agreement is expected on April 26, which would go to the Verkhovna Rada for ratification.

“We have a minerals deal which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday... next Thursday,” he said. “Soon. And I assume they’re going to live up to the deal. So we’ll see. But we have a deal on that,” Trump said.

Earlier in the day, Trump and Meloni appeared to have hit an optimistic note about a possible US-EU tariff deal as the right-leaning Italian prime minister again mounted a charm offensive at the White House.

Meloni is seen in European political circles as a rare “Trump-whisperer,” as her brand of conservatism is about as close as Western Europe gets these days to tolerating Trump’s isolationist and xenophobic populism, under his motto “Make America Great Again,” a campaign slogan taken from former president Ronald Reagan.

Those of a certain age remember Reagan as neither isolationist nor xenophobic, welcoming immigrants and famously challenging the Kremlin, while the Trump administration has promoted opposite policies on both accounts.

AFP noted that Meloni is the first European leader to visit the Republican president since he imposed 20 percent tariffs on EU exports, which he has since suspended for 90 days. She said Trump accepted an invitation to visit Rome in the “near future” and that he might also meet other European leaders there.

“Even if we have some problems between the two shores of the Atlantic, it is the time that we try to sit down and find solutions,” she said.

According to the Italian press, one goal of Meloni’s visit was to pave the way for a meeting between Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. Meloni said the two leaders shared views on immigration and “woke” ideology and added: “The goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together.”

While Trump expressed confidence about an eventual deal with the 27-nation EU that he accuses of trying to “screw” the United States, he said he was in “no rush.”

“Everybody wants to make a deal, and if they don’t want to make a deal, we’ll make the deal for them,” Trump said.

Meloni will fly back to Rome on Friday to host US Vice President JD Vance, with whom she has a meeting scheduled.