US President Donald Trump plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, and follow it up with a three-way meeting that includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — without any European leaders present.
The planned meetings, first reported by The New York Times, came to light during a phone call Trump held on Wednesday with several European leaders. Trump reportedly told leaders he plans to meet with Putin soon, and hopes to bring Zelenskyy into a follow-up meeting shortly after.
“The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy. President Trump wants this brutal war to end,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, responding to the report. However, she did not address the potential timing of a meeting.
The potential meeting was revealed just hours after Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It’s not clear whether Putin or Zelenskyy has officially agreed to the proposal.
US President Donald Trump said his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, held a “highly productive” meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, claiming “great progress” had been made towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s statement came after a three-hour meeting between Witkoff and Putin at the Kremlin, just two days ahead of the US-imposed deadline for Russia to show progress towards a peace agreement or face fresh economic penalties.
TRUMP THREATENS FRESH SANCTIONS
Donald Trump, who vowed to end the war in Ukraine on “day one” during his campaign, has held multiple phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since returning to the White House in January.
However, in recent weeks Trump has grown frustrated with Moscow’s failure to move toward a resolution. In response, he has set a Friday deadline for Russia to agree to peace or face fresh US sanctions.
“I stopped five wars in the last five months actually,” Trump said on Tuesday. “And I’d like this to be the sixth, frankly.”
If the meetings take place, they would mark the first in-person encounter between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
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With inputs from Reuters
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