President Trump is reportedly preparing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, following a “highly productive” three-hour meeting in Moscow between his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and President Putin.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “My special envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. 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.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the possibility of Trump meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pursue a diplomatic solution to the Russia‑Ukraine war: “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky. President Trump wants this brutal war to end.”
Sources say Trump shared the plan with European leaders, signaling willingness to hold separate or trilateral talks. A timeline includes an ultimatum—Russia has until Friday to agree to peace or face escalating sanctions, which may target countries trading in its oil sector.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that more groundwork is needed before any summit can occur. “We’ve got to get close enough to that point so that a meeting like that will be productive and worth doing,” he shared.
