US President Donald Trump has reportedly planned to hold a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming week, according to a report by the New York Times. The meeting is part of a broader effort to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with Trump also set to meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in a trilateral discussion. The planned meetings follow a recent meeting between Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, which Trump described as ‘very productive.’ The report comes as the US president praised the outcomes of the meeting with Putin, stating that ‘great progress’ was made in working towards a resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
The announcement of the meeting with Putin came during a phone call with a group of Western European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Witkoff. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had updated his European allies on the results of the meeting in Moscow and announced his plans to meet with Putin and Zelensky in a trilateral format. Trump’s decision to bring both leaders together has been welcomed by some, as it could help facilitate a peace deal, although the White House has confirmed that no Western European leaders are expected to attend the planned meetings.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has confirmed that he had a conversation with Trump, stating that he wants to see an end to the conflict in Ukraine. The White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, noted that the Russian side has expressed a desire to meet with Trump, though Moscow has previously said a meeting between Trump and Putin is not on the agenda. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that normalizing relations between the US and Russia to the extent necessary for the two presidents to meet will take time due to an ‘unprecedented number’ of mutual irritants. However, Moscow has reiterated its openness to a peace deal, provided the root causes of the conflict are addressed during peace talks.