Putin-Trump meeting could happen next week – Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet his US counterpart, Donald Trump, as soon as next week, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told journalists on Thursday. A venue for the summit has already been agreed, he added.
Expectations for an in-person meeting between Putin and Trump increased following a visit to Moscow by US special envoy Steve Witkoff this week, which the White House described as producing better results than expected.
Ushakov said details of the proposed meeting would be revealed later, but an agreement in principle has already been reached that it would happen soon. Witkoff also proposed the idea of a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, which Moscow declined to comment on, according to Ushakov.
Previous reports in the US media said the Trump administration was looking for a meeting with Putin next week and had proposed extending an invitation to Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader claims he needs to talk directly with the Russian president to make progress in the peace talks.
Witkoff visited Moscow on Wednesday for what Trump later called “highly productive” talks with Putin and other Russian officials. In previous weeks, the US president had expressed frustration with a lack of progress in peace negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, and threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia and its international trade partners.
Moscow has repeatedly stated it would prefer a swift, peaceful resolution of the conflict in a way that addresses its core issues. According to Russian officials, obstacles to peace include unrealistic demands by Ukraine and the commitment by Kiev’s European backers to provide continued weapons deliveries.
Officials in Kiev have indicated that they agreed to resume direct talks with Russia in May not to appear an opponent of Trump’s mediation efforts. Ukraine is seeking further Western military aid and sanctions on Russia, claiming that this could turn the tide on the battlefield in Kiev’s favor. Russia has accused Zelensky of pursuing an armed conflict “to the last Ukrainian” for personal ambition.
