US President Donald Trump could meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week to potentially broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, according to a White House official.
The official, who remained anonymous due to not being authorized to speak publicly about internal plans, emphasized that a meeting is not yet scheduled and a location has not been finalized. The official spoke to The Associated Press.
The White House indicated that Mr. Trump is also willing to meet with both Mr. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A meeting between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump would mark their first encounter since Mr. Trump’s return to office this year.
Such a meeting would be a significant development in the ongoing three-year war. However, its success in ending the conflict is uncertain, as Russia and Ukraine have significant disagreements on their respective demands.
News of this potential meeting with Mr. Putin, initially reported by The New York Times, surfaced shortly after Mr. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Mr. Putin in Moscow. Earlier, Mr. Trump had posted on Truth Social that Mr. Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Mr. Putin in which “great progress was made”.
It remains unclear whether Mr. Putin or Mr. Zelenskyy have agreed to any meetings with Mr. Trump.
Mr. Zelenskyy has expressed interest in a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Putin to seek a resolution to the conflict, but Russia has consistently rejected this proposal.
Mr. Trump has met with Mr. Zelenskyy multiple times this year, including a notably contentious meeting in Washington in February. While he has not yet met Mr. Putin this year, Mr. Trump held five meetings with him during his previous term in office.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Trump stated that he had informed America’s European allies and that they would collaborate towards ending the Russia-Ukraine war “in the days and weeks to come”.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated: “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy.”
Her statement did not specify any potential timeline for such meetings.
Mr. Witkoff’s meeting with Mr. Putin occurred shortly before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine. Failure to do so could potentially result in substantial economic penalties, which might also affect countries purchasing Russian oil.
The Kremlin reported that the meeting between Mr. Putin and Mr. Witkoff lasted approximately three hours.
Mr. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the conversation between Mr. Putin and Mr. Witkoff as “useful and constructive.” It focused on the Ukrainian crisis. He also mentioned “prospects for possible development of strategic co-operation” between the United States and Russia, suggesting a desire for improved relations between Washington and Moscow.
