Trump ready to meet Putin, but first he needs to meet Zelensky face to face

The White House imposes a condition: the Russian president must meet with the Ukrainian leader before a bilateral meeting with Washington

A bilateral meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is possible, but only if the Russian president first agrees to sit down with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. A White House official told Politico that this is now the condition imposed by Washington. The idea of a direct summit had been anticipated by Trump himself to European leaders, also in view of a possible three-way face-to-face meeting.

Moscow is working on a meeting as early as next week
According to Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov, Putin and Trump could meet as early as next week. However, the scenario is described as “provisional” and both sides are currently working out the details. Putin mentioned the United Arab Emirates as the venue, praising his friendship with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a guarantee for a favorable environment for the summit.

The three-way summit is not in the Kremlin’s plans
The proposal for a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, which emerged during a visit by Trump’s special envoy to Moscow, was not well received by the Kremlin. Ushakov explained that the idea was “raised only informally” and that Moscow is currently focused on a bilateral meeting with Washington. “We have not commented on or discussed a possible trilateral meeting,” he said.

Zelensky says he is ready to meet Putin
For his part, Zelensky has renewed his invitation for a direct meeting with Putin to seek a solution to the war. “It is necessary to define the timing and topics of a possible face-to-face meeting,” he wrote on social media the day after his phone call with Trump. The Ukrainian president argues that only dialogue at the highest level can lead to concrete results.

Washington: “It was the Russians who requested the meeting”
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said it was Moscow that requested a direct meeting with Trump. “The president is willing to meet with both Putin and Zelensky,” she confirmed, emphasizing the administration’s desire to end the conflict. According to sources in the New York Post, however, the meeting with Trump cannot take place until Putin agrees to a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky.

Trump’s plan: close summits for a ceasefire
Trump’s intentions are clear: first the meeting with Putin, then immediately afterwards the three-way meeting with Zelensky, excluding other European leaders. During a phone call with several heads of state—including Starmer, Stubb, Merz, Rutte, and Zelensky himself—Trump reiterated that “this war must end” and that he will work to reach an agreement “in the coming days or weeks.”

Exchange of signals between Moscow and the US envoy
The summit between Putin and special envoy Steve Witkoff, held in Moscow, produced an exchange of ‘signals’ described as ‘constructive’ by the Kremlin. But Trump’s deadline for a ceasefire agreement is approaching, and in the absence of progress, new sanctions against Russia could be imposed. In a message on Truth Social, Trump wrote that he had informed his European partners of his moves and the conditions imposed on Moscow.

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