Trump could meet Putin as early as next week to discuss Ukraine ceasefire
They said the meeting would be conditional on the Russian president meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sky News's US partner network NBC News reported.
It came days before the White House's deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face severe economic penalties, which could also target countries buying its oil.
Earlier in the day, Mr Putin held talks with Mr Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, with the meeting lasting around three hours.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said Mr Witkoff "had a highly productive meeting" with Mr Putin in which "great progress was made".
He said he had updated America's European allies and they will work towards an end to the Russia-Ukraine war "in the days and weeks to come".
Mr Zelenskyy later said he and Mr Trump spoke on the phone after the meeting. He said "European leaders also participated in the conversation" and "we discussed what was said in Moscow".
He added: "Our common position with our partners is absolutely clear: The war must end. We all need lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it started."
He later said: "It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire."
He added that the pressure on Moscow "is working", without elaborating, and stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not "deceive us or the United States" when it comes to "the details" of a potential agreement.
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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
A Trump-Putin summit will be as useful to Ukraine and democracy as Agent Orange is for gardening
A long overdue summit between the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation to discuss peace in Ukraine, where nuclear war has been threatened, must be seen as an historic moment for optimism. Except that from London to Langley, Berlin, Canberra and Tokyo, intelligence chiefs will be on tenterhooks wondering if this is another occasion that looks like the meeting between an agent and his handler. There's no evidence that Donald Trump works for Vladimir Putin. But there is ample evidence that the US president favours Putin's agenda. And that he has done all he can to hobble Ukraine while it defends itself against a Russian invasion of Europe's eastern flank. The summit was announced, significantly, by the Kremlin first. It may be held in the United Arab Emirates, which has been pursuing a 'friends with all, enemies of none' foreign policy. 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Reuters
13 minutes ago
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- The Independent
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