President Donald Trump suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping meet directly with protesters in Hong Kong, saying it would lead to a “happy and enlightened ending” to demonstrations that have rocked the territory for more than two months.

“If President Xi would meet directly and personally with the protesters, there would be a happy and enlightened ending to the Hong Kong problem. I have no doubt!” Trump tweeted Thursday.

The president’s comments come after days of turmoil at Hong Kong’s airport, which protesters took over, forcing flight cancellations and raising the specter that China would intervene aggressively to quell the demonstrations. But it would be unprecedented for China’s leader to agree to talks with representatives from a largely leaderless protest movement that has challenged his government’s legitimacy.

Late on Wednesday, Trump appeared to link unrest in Hong Kong with progress in trade talks with the U.S.

“Of course China wants to make a trade deal,” Trump wrote. “Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!”

The American leader’s tweets signal a shift from his largely passive approach to about 10 weeks of demonstrations in Hong Kong, which at one point he called “riots” in language similar to that used by authorities in Beijing.