The White House is racing to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Donald Trump poised to play mediator in Alaska this week – a diplomatic breakthrough that, if successful, could mark the first direct talks between the wartime rivals.
Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that Putin has dropped his long-standing refusal to sit down with Zelenskyy, clearing one of the “most important logjams” to ending the war. “We’re trying to figure out scheduling and when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict,” Vance told Fox News.
The trilateral meeting would coincide with Trump’s planned talks with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
While Kyiv’s absence from early summit plans had alarmed European allies – fearing a deal that might force Ukraine to give up territory – U.S. officials now say Zelenskyy could join the table.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told CNN it was “certainly possible” for the Ukrainian leader to attend, noting that “there can’t be a deal that everybody that’s involved in it doesn’t agree to.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also voiced optimism Sunday, saying he “hoped and assumed” Zelenskyy would be present.
