'I never said Ukraine would win war,' Trump claims days after spat with Zelenskyy
The President previously said he believed Ukraine could take back control of areas controlled by Russia
Donald Trump has claimed he never said Ukraine would win the war over Russia, just days after his meeting with President Zelenskyy turned into a "screaming match."
Listen to this article
The US President told reporters on Monday that he doesn't think Ukraine can win the conflict but admitted "war is a very strange thing."
The comments come after the two leaders met in Washington on Friday, where Mr Trump reportedly told Mr Zelenskyy to accept Putin's terms.
The meeting was later described as positive by Mr Zelenskyy but Ukraine did not secure the long-range missiles it had hoped for.
Reports suggest Mr Zelenskyy was met with raised voices and condemnation by Mr Trump and his cabinet as the pair discussed the war during a heated discussion.
Read more: Trump insists ceasefire still in place after deadly wave of Israeli strikes
During a press conference welcoming Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the Whitehouse, Mr Trump described having "one more to go" when it comes to settling wars.
He said: "It's Russia and Ukraine, and I think we'll get there but it's turned out to be nasty because you have two leaders that truly hate each other.
"They hate each other beyond all else, and it makes it actually a little bit difficult."
When asked if he thinks Ukraine can still win the war, the President said: "I don't think they will, but they could still win it, I never said they would win it.
"I said they could win, anything can happen. War is a very strange thing, a lot of bad things happen."
The comments come after Mr Trump said Ukraine could retake its borders currently occupied by Russian forces.
In a post on Truth Social last month, he wrote: "Ukraine would be able to take back their Country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that!"
"I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight," he added.
During Friday's meeting with Mr Zelenskyy, Mr Trump reportedly said Putin would "destroy" Ukraine if it did not concede to his terms.
But the Ukrainian president said afterwards: "In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them.
"After many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with him and his team, his message, in my view, is positive."