Trump thinks war in Ukraine will be settled, 'hopefully soon'

ANKARA, Turkey - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and he hoped the war in Ukraine would soon be settled.

"I had a very good talk with President Putin," Trump said during a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Turkey.

"We had a long talk, it lasted a long time. And I also spoke with President Zelenskiy right after that. I think they both want to make a deal. ... I think we're going to get it settled, hopefully soon."

Zelenskiy 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.

Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he plans to discuss Ukraine's desperate need for air defense systems to defend against Russia's deadly ballistic strikes.

-Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by David Ljunggren/Reuters