“I had a ​very good talk with President ​Putin,” Trump said during a meeting with ⁠Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the ​NATO summit in Turkiye.

“We had a ​long talk; it lasted a long time. And I also spoke with President Zelensky right after ​that. I think they both want ​to make a deal. … I think we’re going to ‌get ⁠it settled, hopefully soon.”

Zelensky and Trump are expected to meet at the NATO summit on Wednesday following months of ​Ukraine’s stepped-up ​attacks on ⁠Russia’s energy sector and Moscow’s massive strikes that killed 50 ​people in Ukraine’s capital in ​July alone.

Zelensky said on Tuesday he plans to discuss Ukraine’s desperate need for air ⁠defence systems to defend against ​Russia’s deadly ballistic strikes.