Trump Plans Putin Meeting Next Week, Aims for Trilateral Talks with Zelenskyy
U.S. President Donald Trump intends to meet face-to-face with Russian leader Vladimir Putin as part of a new diplomatic push to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The Gaze reports this, referring to The New York Times and CNN.
According to The New York Times, Trump informed European leaders during a Wednesday call that he plans to hold talks with Putin “as early as next week.”
The U.S. president also expressed a desire to follow up with a three-way summit that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
European leaders on the call reportedly included British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
One NYT source said both appeared to be receptive to Trump’s proposal. However, it remains unclear whether either Putin or Zelenskyy has officially agreed to the meeting.
The call with European counterparts came shortly after Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow. The Kremlin described the conversation as an exchange of “certain signals” regarding the ongoing war.
Trump later called the meeting with Putin “very productive,” though he provided no specific details. He did claim that “significant progress” had been made.
Meanwhile, CNN reports that the idea for a direct Trump-Putin meeting was initially proposed by Putin himself during his talks with Witkoff on August 6, according to unnamed White House officials.
Following that conversation, Trump’s aides immediately began preparing for a potential summit.
While the location has not yet been finalized, multiple venues are reportedly under consideration. According to CNN, the meeting could take place as soon as next week or within the following two weeks.
Read more on The Gaze: How a Ceasefire — or Its Absence — Will Redefine the West’s Ukraine Strategy