Trump caught in hot mic moment about Putin

In a hot mic moment Monday, President Donald Trump appeared to be reassuring French President Emmanuel Macron that Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about making peace in Ukraine. 

'I think he wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal for me,' Trump whispered to Macron in the White House East Room before their meeting started. 'Do you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.' 

Macron appeared skeptical that Putin was serious about ending the three and a half year conflict that Russia had started. 

Trump gathered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a handful of European leaders at the White House on Monday after his high stakes meeting with Putin on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska. 

While Trump said alongside Putin on Friday that they had had an 'extremely productive meeting,' Trump was unable to get Putin to agree to a ceasefire. 

The Russian leader also appeared to be resistant to stopping the fighting, telling reporters that Russia still needed to 'eliminate the primary roots, the primary causes, of that conflict.' 

The European leaders gathered in Washington to discuss next steps - including security guarantees and getting kidnapped Ukrainian children back.

Trump first met with Zelensky in the Oval Office before leading a discussion in the East Room with the bigger group. 

The president invited NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Macron to take part. 

Zelensky's meeting in the Oval Office took on a dramatically different tone than the showdown in late February. 

Both Trump and Zelensky were on better behavior. 

The Ukrainian leader showed up in a black tie-less suit, which Trump immediately complimented. 

'We love them, we love them,' Trump told reporters when asked if he had a message for the Ukrainian people. 

In February Trump told Zelensky 'you don't have the cards,' pushing him to be more 'thankful.' 

On Monday, Trump didn't take the bait when asked which side - Ukraine or Russia - had the better cards.

'Well, I don't want to say that,' the president answered. 

Trump had a little fun in the Oval when reporter Brian Glenn, a White House correspondent for Real America's Voice who dates Republican firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, complimented Zelensky's outfit.

'President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit,' Glenn said.

'I said the same thing,' Trump said, then told the Ukrainian president of Glenn, 'that's the one that attacked you last time.' 

Glenn had shamed Zelensky for wearing a black long-sleeved shirt instead of a classic suit. 

'I remember,' Zelensky responded. 'But you are wearing the same suit,' he teased Glenn. 

After his meeting with Zelensky, Trump joined the other leaders in the Cross Hall for a 'family photo.' 

The leaders didn't smile, but Trump couldn't help commenting on the White House entranceway's new decor - the 'fight, fight, fight' image he had installed where former President Barack Obama's portrait used to hang. 

'That was not a great day,' Trump commented, referencing the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt. 

Once inside the East Room, Trump was caught whispering with Macron, telling him his hope to get a trilateral meeting, which would be attended by Trump, Zelensky and Putin. 

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By the end of the day Monday, Trump was publicly confirming that such a meeting was in the works.

The president posted about a 'a very good meeting with distinguished guests' following his meeting with European leaders at the White House.

Trump said the group discussed 'security guarantees' and that 'everyone is very happy about the possibility of peace for Russia/Ukraine,' offering his take on the meeting on his Truth Social site.

He said the next step was to set up a Putin-Zelensky meeting. 

'After that meeting takes place, we will have a trilat, which would be the two presidents, plus myself,' he said.

He confirmed that following the meetings he called Putin, and said the next major step – the Putin-Zelensky meeting – would be at a 'location to be determined.'

During the public event with European leaders, Zelensky struck a positive tone about the Oval Office meeting. 

'We had very good conversation and it really was the best one - maybe the best one will be in the future. But it was really good,' the Ukrainian leader said.  

Both Merz and Macron publicly pushed Trump to try and get a ceasefire as negotiations with the Russians continued after Ukrainian civilians continued to be killed over the weekend.  

'Let's try and put pressure on Russia, because the credibility of this effort, these efforts were are undertaking today, are depending on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations, from next stop on,' Merz said. 

'I would like to emphasize this aspect and would like to see a ceasefire from the next meeting, which should be a trilateral meeting, wherever it takes place,' the German chancellor added. 

Trump had previously said he had three locations in mind for a second meeting, floating a return to Alaska as well. 

Macron echoed Merz's comments. 

'In order to organize such a trilateral meeting, your idea to ask for a truce, or ceasefire, at least to stop the killing as we discuss is a necessity and we all support this idea,' the French president said. 

Macron also pitched there be a future meeting between Trump, Putin, Zelensky and the European leaders.

'I think as a follow up, we would need probably a quadrilateral meeting,' Macron suggested. 'Because when we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent.' 

As the press was leaving, Trump got caught on hot mic again. 

'You do this everyday?' Stubb could be heard saying as reporters were ushered out after yelling questions their way. 

'All the time,' Trump answered.

Meloni chimed in, 'But he loves it, he loves it,' she said, noting how she doesn't like engaging with her press. 

Trump then told Meloni that Stubbs was a 'very good golfer you know.'

'I know, I know. But he says you always win,' the Italian leader told Trump.