Ahead of his meeting with the Russian leader last week, Trump threatened Russia with “severe consequences” if it didn’t accept a ceasefire. Afterward, he dropped that demand and said it was best to focus on a comprehensive peace deal — as Putin has pushed for.

In a whispered conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron at a summit with other European leaders on Aug. 18, the U.S. president seemingly shared that he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to end the war in Ukraine in order to hand Trump a victory. The comment was picked up via hot mic, Fox News reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on August 18 in the Oval Office, alongside European leaders from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. The meeting followed Trump’s August 15 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith praised Trump for Russia-Ukraine negotiations, as one of the few prominent figures on the left to praise Trump.