A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump has been agreed upon, a Kremlin spokesman said, and could take place next week at a location that has already been broadly decided.
“On the initiative of the American side, a basic agreement was reached to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level in the coming days,” Putin’s adviser on international affairs, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters.
Ushakov noted that the summit is scheduled for next week, adding that organizing such events takes time, and the exact date has not yet been confirmed.
The location for the meeting will be announced “a little later,” he said.
He also downplayed the likelihood that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would join the summit to discuss ending Russia's three-year invasion of Ukraine, although the White House says Trump is willing to consider the issue.
“We propose, first of all, to focus on preparing a bilateral meeting with Mr. Trump and we consider it extremely important that this meeting be successful and productive,” Ushakov said.
Zelensky said he planned to hold phone talks with European leaders on Thursday to discuss the latest developments amid intense diplomatic activity.
European countries should also be involved in finding a solution to the conflict on their continent, he added on Telegram.
“Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same decisive approach from the Russian side. It is time to end the war,” he added.
The meeting between Putin and Trump will be their first since the Republican president returned to office this year.
This would be a significant milestone in the context of the war, although there is no guarantee that such a meeting would lead to an end to hostilities, as the positions of Russia and Ukraine are still far from consensus in their demands.
Western officials have repeatedly accused Putin of dragging out peace talks to give Russian troops the opportunity to seize more Ukrainian territory.
Putin has made no concessions in the past and is only willing to make a decision on his own terms.
It is unclear whether Trump's Friday deadline to stop the killings in Ukraine still stands.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
