President Donald Trump on Friday told reporters that he was open to resuming talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but only if Zelensky was willing to pursue peace instead of criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"He's gotta say 'I wanna make peace. I don't want to fight a war any longer,'" he said.

"He doesn't have to stand there and say 'Putin this, Putin that,'" Trump added. "His people are dying."

Trump remarks followed a tense exchange between the president and Zelensky during a meeting in the Oval Office that led to Trump asking the foreign leader to leave.

They had been set to deliver a joint press conference after signing a minerals deal that did not materialize.