US President Donald Trump said Wednesday there was a “very good prospect” for a summit meeting with Russia, which could end the war in Ukraine.
“We had some very good talks with President Putin today. The end, the end of the road, the end of that road, etc., there’s a very good chance that we’ll end up.” “The road is long and long, but there’s a good chance that a meeting will be held soon,” he said.
Trump’s comments followed a Moscow meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkov, but Trump said there was no “breakthrough” between the two men and when asked about the timeline of the deal, he said “I was disappointed with this.”
Earlier, after the Putin Witkov meeting, Trump called to European leaders and said he wanted to meet Putin soon, and a trilateral meeting between the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Voldy Zelensky continued. European government sources also confirmed the contents of the call.
Two White House officials told CNN that Putin proposed to meet with Trump in person and face to face with Witkov in Moscow.
According to two White House officials, Trump’s aides quickly began planning for these meetings. While a presidential trip and a major sit-in with the two world leaders will usually take time to plan, these officials pointed out that Trump is urging his team to move faster.
The location has not been resolved, but several options are being discussed, according to the White House. He said the speech could occur next week or within the next two weeks.
“The Russians have expressed their desire to meet President Trump, and the president is open to meeting both Putin and Zelensky. President Trump hopes to end this brutal war,” White House press chief Caroline Leavitt said in a statement.
Putin has been largely exiled by Western leaders following the decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The longtime Russian leader last met with the US president in 2021 when he met President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland.
Trump has repeatedly said he will meet with Putin since returning to the White House in January, but the announcement on Wednesday looked more specific than his previous comments.
The Putin Witkov conference, which Russian state media said lasted about three hours, came after an annoyed Trump struck a country that buys Russian oil with 100% tariffs after imposing a deadline in Moscow to agree to a ceasefire or agree to strict secondary sanctions.
Trump wrote on social media that “great progress has been made” at a meeting between Witkov and Putin on Wednesday.
It was unclear whether the Trump administration would follow the threat of slapping new sanctions in Moscow if no ceasefire has been agreed by later this week.
Earlier on Wednesday, White House officials said the secondary sanctions against Russia are “still expected to be implemented on Friday.”
But speaking to the Fox business later Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump will decide whether to impose secondary sanctions within the next 24-36 hours.
Losing customers would be painful as oil and gas revenues are an important source of cash for the Kremlin, accounting for about a quarter of the Russian government budget.
Rubio also said following Witkov’s meeting, the United States now has a better understanding of the conditions under which Russia is ready to end the battle.
“For the first time since this administration began, there are probably a few concrete examples of the kinds of things Russia is looking for to end the war,” Rubio said.
The Kremlin described the Witkov and Putin meeting as “constructive and useful,” according to Russian national media Tass.
“Putin has given the US some signals about the issue of Ukraine, and we have also received corresponding signals from President Trump,” state media outlet Leah Novosti reported, citing the Kremlin.
The Kremlin will release more information about what was discussed after Witkov reported to Trump, Leah said in a social media post.
Speaking to Trump following the Witkov Putin meeting, Zelensky said, “Russia now appears to be heading for a ceasefire.”
“The pressure on Russia is working. But the main thing is that they don’t deceive us with details. There is no us or the US,” the Ukrainian leader said in a nightly video address to the country.
Earlier in the day, the US envoy was greeted at the Moscow airport by Russian investment envoy Kiril Dmitriev. A video posted later by the video showed Witkov shaking hands with Putin before their meeting.
Trump became increasingly anxious at resistance to Russia’s peace efforts. Since the last meeting between Witkov and Putin in April, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine, attacking the city with onslaught of missiles and drones.
Trump called the Russian attack “disgusting” and accused Putin of pitching “Burshu*T” in a tense phone conversation.
A document posted on the White House website states that hours after the meeting in Moscow, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on India as a punishment for Russian oil imports.
Earlier this week, Trump threatened with new tariffs, saying that India was supporting Russia’s wage war in Ukraine.
“India not only buys a lot of Russian oil, but also sells it in the open market for a lot of money. They don’t care about the number of Ukrainian people killed in Russian war machines,” he wrote on social media.
Ukraine was shaking again after being attacked by Russia across the country overnight on Wednesday, as diplomacy was ongoing in the Kremlin.
At least six people were killed in a strike 24 hours before Wednesday morning by Moscow.
Zelensky condemned the attack on the centre, where two people were killed, and four children called “the military sense zero” and “just intended to instill fear.”
According to the country’s Energy Ministry, gas compressor stations and Azerbaijan energy imports were also attacked overnight.
The gas transmission facility in the town of Novosilsuke, near the border with Romania in Ukraine’s South Odesa region, was targeted by dozens of strike drones, the ministry said.
“Hundreds of families have no gas,” Zelensky said in a statement. “This was a deliberate blow to preparing for the heating season, like all Russian strikes against our energy infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine said Wednesday morning that the US State Department had signed a $200 million deal that would allow partners to purchase military supplies, including technical support for heavy artillery. The US has not commented yet.
On Tuesday, Zelensky welcomed pledges from more than $1 billion from NATO members through the initiative to buy US arms in Kiev by four Ukraine European allies (Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden).
This story has been updated in development.
