Putin and Zelensky could meet ‘very soon’ – Trump
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky could happen “very soon,” US President Donald Trump has claimed.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, hours after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met for talks with Putin in Moscow, Trump was asked to comment on a potential summit between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
“There is a very good prospect that they will, and we haven’t determined where, but we had some very good talks with President Putin today,” Trump said. “There is a good chance there could be a meeting very soon.”
Asked how close a peace deal could be, he declined to speculate.
“I don’t want to say, I’ve been disappointed before” the US president said.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the recent talks give Washington a “better understanding” of the conditions under which Moscow would agree to a peace deal.
If the Russian and Ukrainian positions can be brought closer, a trilateral summit could follow, he told Fox Business.
“I think there’s the opportunity for the president to have a meeting that includes both Putin and Zelensky to try to close this thing out,” Rubio said.
Trump intends to hold a personal meeting with Putin as early as next week, the New York Times reported after Witkoff’s Moscow visit, citing two anonymous sources.
Moscow has praised Wednesday’s talks as “a very useful and constructive conversation.”
