White House says Russia wants to meet Donald Trump amid talks to end Ukraine war
The statement comes after reports suggested that Trump could meet his Russian counterpart and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky as soon as next week in a renewed bid to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv.
"The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
AFP reported, citing a senior Ukrainian source, that Trump and Zelensky discussed the possibility in a call that also included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany, and Finland.
The call came after Washington's envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow for talks with Putin earlier in the day.
Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky may happen next week
According to media reports, Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin may happen as soon as next week.
The New York Times reported that Trump intended to meet first with Putin and then follow that meeting with a three-way summit that would also involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
NATO and Ukrainian officials are yet to confirm the report.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump hailed the meeting between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin as "highly productive," but US officials said sanctions would still be imposed on Moscow's trading partners, including India, by Friday.
The Republican had earlier on Wednesday announced an additional 25 percent tariff on India for buying Russian oil. The total tariff on Indian goods imported to the US now stands at 50 percent.
Trump, who had boasted he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new sanctions.
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