WASHINGTON — President Trump intends to meet with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, orchestrating what would be the first sitdown between the warring leaders since Moscow launched its war on Kyiv in February 2022.
Trump, 79, informed European leaders of his plan in a call following special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Putin at the Kremlin early Wednesday.
Neither belligerent has confirmed plans for any meeting, but Ukraine has been seeking a face-to-face with Putin for months.
Trump himself may meet one-on-one with Putin before the anticipated trilateral summit, which could take place later this month.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump was willing to meet with both Putin and Zelensky, but did not specify whether the three would be together anytime soon.
“The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump [during Witkoff’s visit], and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky,” she said in a statement. “President Trump wants this brutal war to end.”
Past low-level discussions between Russian and Ukrainian officials have taken place in Turkey, though it was unclear Wednesday whether the NATO nation would be a site for three-way talks.
Should Putin and Zelensky agree to meet, it would be a major breakthrough for Trump in his months-long quest to bring the European war to an end.
Putin has consistently refused all calls for him to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart — including an entreaty by Trump himself months ago.
In May, Trump offered to cut short his Middle East trip to travel to Turkey to serve as a mediator between the warring leaders, but Putin refused to participate — ultimately standing up Zelensky in Ankara.
