Trump-Putin meeting agreed for 'coming days', venue set: Kremlin
The summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021, and comes as Trump seeks to broker an end to Russia's military assault on Ukraine.
Three rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire, with the two sides appearing far apart in their demands to end the more than three-year-long conflict.
Trump said Wednesday he was likely to meet Putin face-to-face "very soon."
"At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement has been reached in principle to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying on Thursday by Russian state news agencies.
"We are now starting to work out the details together with our American colleagues," Ushakov said.
The Kremlin said a venue had been agreed "in principle", but did not indicate where the summit could take place
"Next week has been set as a target date," Ushakov added.
Zelensky calls for meeting
Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian bombardments have forced millions for flee their homes and destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.
At talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators have outlined hardline territorial demands if Ukraine wants Russia to halt its advance -- calling for Kyiv to withdraw from territory it still controls and renounce Western military support.
Moscow has also repeatedly sought to cast doubt on Zelensky'slegitimacy and ruled out a meeting between the two leaders until after the terms of a peace deal have been agreed.
The announcement of the upcoming summit comes a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow.
Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Russia did not respond to that proposal, Ushakov said.
"The Russian side left this option completely without comment," he added.
Zelensky earlier Thursday had refreshed his call for a meeting with Putin -- which he says is the only way to make progress towards peace.
"We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders," Zelensky wrote on social media.
"It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed," he added.
The Ukrainian leader said Thursday morning that he had planned to hold "several" conversations throughout the course of the day including with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as French and Italian officials.s
"There will also be communication at the level of national security advisors," Zelensky added.
"The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression," Zelensky added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
4 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump says would meet Putin without Zelensky sit-down
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would meet with Vladimir Putin for upcoming talks on the Ukraine war even if the Russian leader had not sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The statement, which contradicted earlier reports that a Putin-Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for the summit, came after Trump gave Moscow until Friday to reach a ceasefire or face fresh sanctions. But asked by reporters in the Oval Office if that deadline still held, Trump did not answer clearly. "It's going to be up to (Putin)," Trump said. "We're going to see what he has to say." Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has been pressuring Moscow to end Russia's military assault on Ukraine. The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin was set to attend a summit with Trump in the "coming days," but the Russian leader essentially ruled out including Zelensky. Zelensky meanwhile insisted that he had to be involved in any talks. When Trump was asked if Putin was required to meet Zelensky before a summit, the US president said simply: "No, he doesn't." Putin has named the United Arab Emirates as a potential location for the summit, but this was not confirmed by Washington. Next week? The summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. Three rounds of direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire. The two sides remain far apart on the conditions they have set to end the more than three-year-long conflict. Trump and Putin last sat together in 2019 at a G20 summit meeting in Japan during Trump's first term. They have spoken by telephone several times since January. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that "next week has been set as a target date," adding that both sides have agreed the venue "in principle," without naming it. However, Washington later denied that a venue or date had been set. "No location has been determined," a White House official said, while agreeing that the meeting "could occur as early as next week." Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire. At talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators outlined hardline territorial demands for halting its advance -- calling for Kyiv to withdraw from some territory it still controls and to renounce Western military support. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged Trump to "finally get tough on the Kremlin" and use his leverage to end the war. "Face-to-face dialogue is important, but Putin cannot be allowed yet another opportunity to delay or water down President Trump's promise of harsh sanctions taking effect tomorrow," she said in a statement late Thursday. 'Only fair' Ukraine involved Reports of the possible summit came after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Zelensky, but Putin appeared to rule out direct talks with the Ukrainian leader. "Certain conditions must be created for this," Putin told reporters. "Unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions." The former KGB agent, who has ruled Russia for over 25 years, said in June that he was ready to meet Zelensky, but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the conflict. In his regular evening address on Thursday, Zelensky said "it is only fair that Ukraine should be a participant in the negotiations." The Ukrainian leader spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as he called for the continent to be included in any potential peace talks.
Roya News
4 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump shouts at Netanyahu in fiery phone call over Gaza hunger: report
A phone call between US President Donald Trump and 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly escalated into a shouting match on July 28 over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The confrontation was reported by NBC News, citing 'two former US officials and a Western official'. The dispute followed Netanyahu's public statement that "there is no starvation in Gaza". A day later, Trump publicly contradicted the claim while in Scotland, stating that "based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry" adding that he was 'not particularly convinced" by Netanyahu's claims. 'You can't fake that,' Trump said at the time. According to the NBC report, Netanyahu demanded a phone call with Trump and repeated his denial during the private call hours later, Trump "interrupted... and began yelling," saying his aides had shown him proof of starving children. Netanyahu said in the call that reports of starvations in Gaza had been 'fabricated' by Hamas and that hunger is not widespread, to which Trump interrupted and began shouting, saying he didn't want to hear the hunger in Gaza dismissed as 'fake'. The report describes the phone call as 'a direct, mostly one-way conversation about the status of humanitarian aid' in which Trump 'was doing most of the talking,' according to a former US official who was briefed on the call. The reported exchange is set against a dire humanitarian situation. UN-backed food security experts have stated that a "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" in Gaza, with evidence of "widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease". Over 300,000 children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition, and 154 malnutrition-related deaths have been documented since the war began.
Roya News
11 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump open to meeting Putin without Zelenskyy talks first
US President Donald Trump stated Thursday that he is willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin regardless of whether the latter has held discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This position diverges from previous media reports, which suggested a different prerequisite. Contrary to claims attributed to unnamed White House officials that a Putin-Zelenskyy summit was a necessary condition for Trump's own meeting with Putin, the president dismissed the idea when questioned directly. 'No, he doesn't, no,' Trump said from the Oval Office when asked whether such a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders was required beforehand. 'They would like to meet with me, and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing,' he added. The president's remarks came just a day after he hinted that a one-on-one with Putin might be imminent. His comments followed a visit by his envoy, Steve Witkoff, who recently held talks with the Russian president in Moscow. Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly emphasized his desire to end the war in Ukraine, reiterating his campaign promise to bring the conflict to a close within 24 hours. Recently, Trump has taken a more forceful tone, warning Moscow of increased penalties if a ceasefire deal is not reached by Friday. When pressed on whether that deadline remained in place following Witkoff's visit, Trump offered a vague reply. 'It's going to be up to (Putin),' he said. 'We're going to see what he has to say.' Trump added, 'Very disappointed,' without elaborating further.
