Trump ‘Open’ to Meeting With Putin, Zelensky, Says White House

The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump is open to holding talks with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, following reports of renewed diplomatic moves to address the war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Russian officials had shown interest in a meeting with Trump. While no details were given about timing or location, a White House official told the Associated Press that such a meeting could happen within a week.

“The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and Zelensky,” Leavitt said, responding to a New York Times report that suggested Trump could meet Putin in Russia as early as next week.

Later that day, while hosting Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Oval Office, Trump addressed questions about a potential three-way summit. His response was cautiously optimistic.

“Well, there’s a very good prospect that they will, and we haven’t determined where, but we had some very good talks with President Putin today. And there’s a very good chance that we could be ending the round, ending the end of that road,” Trump said. “There’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon.”

Still, when asked if a ceasefire deal might be imminent, Trump seemed less certain.

“I’ve been disappointed before with this one,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to help end the war, even claiming he could stop it on “day one” of his presidency. But progress has been limited. His comments came after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian officials in Moscow earlier in the day.

In a social media post, Trump called Witkoff’s visit a “highly productive” meeting with Putin and added, “great progress was made!”

“Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,” he wrote.

According to The New York Times, Trump’s plan is to meet with Putin first, and then work toward a broader summit that would include Zelensky.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a television interview that Washington now has a clearer picture of Russia’s demands for ending the war.

“For the first time perhaps since this administration began, we have some concrete examples of the kinds of things that Russia would ask for in order to end the war,” Rubio told Fox Business Network’s Kudlow, adding that territorial questions would likely be central to any future agreement.

AFP also reported that Trump brought up the possible summit in a phone call with Zelenskyy, citing an unnamed Ukrainian source. The call reportedly included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, along with leaders from Germany, Britain and Finland.