Trump could meet Putin for Ukraine war talks very soon, says White House

US President Donald Trump could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to White House officials.

However, senior aides have cautioned that obstacles remain before any meaningful progress toward a ceasefire can be achieved.

Speaking to reporters late Wednesday, Trump suggested that a summit may be imminent. “There’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” he said, adding that while there had been no specific breakthrough, efforts toward such talks had been underway for “a long time.”

According to The New York Times and CNN reports, Trump is aiming for a bilateral meeting with Putin, which could be followed by a three-way summit involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Details on the potential location for the Trump-Putin meeting remain unclear. If it goes ahead, it would mark the first US-Russia leadership summit since President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in 2021.

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The suggestion of renewed diplomatic engagement follows a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday between Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and President Putin. Trump later described the encounter as yielding “great progress” on efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Following the Moscow talks, Trump is reported to have informed European leaders of his intention to meet Putin one-on-one, before convening with Zelenskyy at a later stage.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged caution, downplaying expectations of an imminent breakthrough. “Hopefully if things continue to progress, an opportunity will arise for President Trump to meet both Vladimir Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Rubio said, noting that a number of issues still needed to be resolved.