A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump has been agreed upon, Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov announced Thursday – just a day before the White House’s deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the three-year war in Ukraine.
Ushakov said the meeting could take place as early as next week at a venue “decided in principle,” while dismissing the possibility of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the talks – despite White House indications that Trump was open to including Zelenskyy.
Putin has repeatedly rejected Zelenskyy’s previous offers for a breakthrough meeting.
“We believe the priority should be preparing a bilateral meeting with Trump, and ensuring it is successful and productive,” Ushakov said, noting that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal for Zelenskyy’s involvement “was not specifically discussed.”
It remains unclear how the announcement will impact Trump’s Friday deadline for Russia to halt hostilities or face intensified economic sanctions.
