Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy as early as next week. The announcement follows his envoy’s talks in Russia that the US president called “highly productive.” DW has more.
Trump speaks of ‘good chance’ of Putin meeting ‘very soon’
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday there was a “good chance” of him meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon.”
Trump described the talks between his special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian leader, which he said were “very good talks.” The US president stressed that “we made a lot of progress” on Russia.
“There’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” Trump told reporters.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also addressed the potential meeting between the two presidents, saying that considerable work lay ahead to overcome “many impediments.”
“Today was a good day, but we got a lot of work ahead. There’s still many impediments to overcome, and we hope to do that over the next few days and hours, weeks maybe,” Rubio told Fox Business.
Earlier on Wednesday, reports cited the White House as saying Trump was open to a meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (see entry below).
Trump to meet Putin as early as next week, reports say
US President Donald Trump could meet in person with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as early as next week, according to media reports citing anonymous White House sources.
The reports follow talks between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian leader that Trump described as “highly productive.”
The New York Times, CNN, AP and Reuters news agencies were among those reporting on Wednesday evening that Trump told European leaders he plans to meet soon with Putin, potentially as early as next week.
Trump would hold a meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the initial meeting with the Russian leader, they said, citing people familiar with the plan.
“The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump wants this brutal war to end.”
She didn’t specify a date or location for a possible meeting.
Last week, Trump set a deadline of “10 or 12 days” for Russia to stop the war in Ukraine or face US sanctions.
During the 2024 election campaign, Trump had vowed to bring an end to the war on his first day in office.
Russia ‘more inclined’ to Ukraine ceasefire, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country supports a “lasting and reliable” peace with Russia, before later adding that Moscow seems “more inclined” to a ceasefire.
“The main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details,” Zelenskyy said in a nightly address.
The Ukrainian leader also commented on the meeting earlier Wednesday between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Russia must end the war that it itself started,” Zelenskyy posted on his X account, adding that Kyiv will “definitely defend its independence.”
Zelenskyy said European leaders had also joined his call with US President Donald Trump, without providing names.
Sanctions targeting Russia partners still on the table, White House says
The White House said on Wednesday that US is still set to impose “secondary sanctions” on Russia’s trading partners, despite the “great progress” touted by President Donald Trump after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Trump had set a Friday deadline for the Kremlin to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Although few details have been released about specifics, the sanctions are widely expected to target Russia’s remaining trade partners to further impair Moscow’s access to financing.
This could include Russia’s oil-buying partners like China and India. In June, Trump had threatened 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil.
The Financial Times newspaper reported US measures could also target Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers used to circumvent western sanctions on Russian oil, by using often dilapidated tankers with murky ownership.
The measures would be the first punitive action towards Moscow from Washington over the war in Ukraine since Trump took office in January. However, Trump has previously set deadlines for Moscow, only to walk them back.
Moscow, so far, has shown no sign of backing down. On Tuesday, the Kremlin slammed “threats” to hike tariffs on Russia’s trading partners as “illegitimate.”
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-trump-says-likely-to-meet-putin-very-soon/live-73543091
