Trump might meet with Putin next week after ‘great progress'
Mr Trump plans to meet with Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the New York Times reported, citing two sources.
The newspaper added that the plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday.
The White House did not immediately respond to the report but earlier on Wednesday Mr Trump acknowledged that he spoke with European leaders after US envoy Steve Witkoff's 'highly productive' meeting with Mr Putin in Russia.
The meeting came two days before a deadline set by Mr Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions.
Mr Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Mr Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports.
A White House official said that while the meeting had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Mr Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday.
No details were provided.
'My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made!' Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
'Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.'
A Kremlin aide earlier on Wednesday said Witkoff held 'useful and constructive' talks with Mr Putin on Wednesday.
The two met for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the 3.5-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged 'signals' on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Mr Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed pressure had worked on Russia and Moscow was now more amenable to a ceasefire.
'It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire. The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US,' Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
Writing separately on the X social media platform, Mr Zelensky said he had discussed Witkoff's visit to Russia with Mr Trump, adding that he had reiterated Ukraine's support for a just peace and its continued determination to defend itself.
'Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started,' Mr Zelensky said, adding that European leaders had joined the call with Mr Trump.
Mr Trump took a key step toward punitive measures on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil.
No similar order was signed for China, which also imports Russian oil.
The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50 per cent — among the steepest faced by any US trading partner.
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Asian equities have risen, with Japanese shares hitting a record high, as tech-led gains on Wall Street, upbeat earnings and growing expectations for US rate cuts boosted sentiment. The prospect of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine also underpinned sentiment, benefiting the euro, while weighing on oil prices as traders gauged the outlook for sanctions on Moscow. Sterling held its ground at a one-week high going into the Bank of England's policy announcement later in the day, with a quarter-point cut widely expected, and the focus falling on a possible three-way split within the board. At the same time, markets largely shook off Trump's latest tariff threats, including an additional 25 per cent tariff on India over purchases of Russian oil and a threatened 100 per cent duty on chips. 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The BoE looks poised to cut interest rates for the fifth time in 12 months later on Thursday, but nagging worries about inflation are likely to split its policymakers and cloud the outlook for its next moves. Two Monetary Policy Committee members may push for a half-point rate cut, and two may lobby for no change. The dollar added 0.1 per cent to 147.53 yen. Gold gained 0.4 per cent to around $3,382 per ounce, buoyed by the weaker dollar. Crude oil clawed back some losses from Wednesday, when both Brent and West Texas Intermediate slid about 1 per cent. Brent crude futures were last up 20 cents, or 0.3 per cent, at $67.09 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 22 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $64.57 a barrel. Asian equities have risen, with Japanese shares hitting a record high, as tech-led gains on Wall Street, upbeat earnings and growing expectations for US rate cuts boosted sentiment. 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Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.4 per cent, and mainland Chinese blue chips advanced 0.3 per cent. Australian shares edged slightly lower after hitting a record high on Wednesday. US stock futures were buoyant, with those for the S&P 500 up 0.3 per cent and those for the Nasdaq also rising 0.3 per cent. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 climbed 0.7 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.2 per cent. "Wall Street seems to have gotten its mojo back," analyst Kyle Rodda wrote in a note. "However, there are persistent risks to the downside. Downside surprises in official data are increasing," he said. "Valuations are also stretched, with forward price to earnings hovering around the highest in four years. And trade uncertainty persists." 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The BoE looks poised to cut interest rates for the fifth time in 12 months later on Thursday, but nagging worries about inflation are likely to split its policymakers and cloud the outlook for its next moves. Two Monetary Policy Committee members may push for a half-point rate cut, and two may lobby for no change. The dollar added 0.1 per cent to 147.53 yen. Gold gained 0.4 per cent to around $3,382 per ounce, buoyed by the weaker dollar. Crude oil clawed back some losses from Wednesday, when both Brent and West Texas Intermediate slid about 1 per cent. Brent crude futures were last up 20 cents, or 0.3 per cent, at $67.09 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 22 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $64.57 a barrel.
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Moraes' decision cited a failure to comply with restraining orders he had imposed on Bolsonaro for allegedly courting US President Donald Trump's interference in the case. Bolsonaro's lawyers had already said that they would appeal the decision to place him under house arrest. In a document seen by Reuters, the lawyers said Bolsonaro did not breach the restraining orders. They also asked for the house arrest order to be voted on by a wider panel of Supreme Court justices. Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election. The case has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration. The trial is receiving renewed attention after Trump directly tied a 50 per cent tariff on imported Brazilian goods to the judicial situation of Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. The US leader has called the proceedings a "witch hunt". Prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organisation that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes. The top court in July ordered Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings were under way. Lawyers for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro have appealed a house arrest order imposed against him. Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest on Monday after an order was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes against him. Moraes' decision cited a failure to comply with restraining orders he had imposed on Bolsonaro for allegedly courting US President Donald Trump's interference in the case. Bolsonaro's lawyers had already said that they would appeal the decision to place him under house arrest. In a document seen by Reuters, the lawyers said Bolsonaro did not breach the restraining orders. They also asked for the house arrest order to be voted on by a wider panel of Supreme Court justices. Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election. The case has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration. The trial is receiving renewed attention after Trump directly tied a 50 per cent tariff on imported Brazilian goods to the judicial situation of Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. The US leader has called the proceedings a "witch hunt". Prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organisation that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes. The top court in July ordered Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings were under way. 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The trial is receiving renewed attention after Trump directly tied a 50 per cent tariff on imported Brazilian goods to the judicial situation of Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. The US leader has called the proceedings a "witch hunt". Prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organisation that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes. The top court in July ordered Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings were under way.
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ANU Strategic & Defence Studies Centre Visiting Fellow Dr Matthew Sussex says the details are 'very vague' on US President Donald Trump's potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Sussex told Sky News Australia there is a suspicion Putin wants to 'kick the can down the road' by promising Donald Trump a summit. 'And also helping Trump out in getting out of the sort of cul-de-sac he's created by issuing ultimatums to Moscow.'
