It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire, says Ukraine President Zelenskyy; Marco Rubio says Steve Witkoff, who met Putin in Moscow, is returning with a ceasefire proposal.
Donald Trump said he could meet with Vladimir Putin ‘very soon,’ following what the U.S. President described as highly productive talks in Moscow between his special envoy and the Russian leader.
The potential summit was discussed in a call between Mr. Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy that, according to a senior source in Kyiv, included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Finland.
‘There’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,’ Mr. Trump told reporters on Wednesday at the White House, when asked when he would meet the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
He gave no indication where the meeting with Mr. Putin might take place. It would be the first U.S.-Russia leadership summit since former President Joe Biden met with his counterpart in Geneva in June 2021.
Mr. Putin on Thursday said he hopes to meet with Mr. Trump next week, possibly in the UAE. Speaking of possible direct talks with Mr. Zelenskyy, Mr. Putin said he has mentioned several times that he was not against it, adding: ‘It is a possibility, but certain conditions need to be created’ for it to happen.
The Kremlin has previously said that Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy should meet only when an agreement negotiated by their delegations is close.
‘It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire; the pressure on them is working. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us or the United States in the details,’ Mr. Zelenskyy said on Wednesday evening.
Mr. Trump’s phone call with Mr. Zelenskyy came after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian leadership in Moscow earlier in the day for talks described by the Kremlin as ‘productive’ — with Mr. Trump’s deadline looming to impose fresh sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
‘Great progress was made!’ Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that afterward he had briefed some European allies. ‘Everyone agrees this War must come to a close,’ he said.
Minutes later, however, a senior U.S. official said that ‘secondary sanctions’ were still expected to be implemented in two days’ time. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Mr. Witkoff was returning with a ceasefire proposal from Moscow that would have to be discussed with Ukraine and Washington’s European allies.
