Kremlin official confirms Trump-Putin meeting

2025-08-07 10:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet "in the coming days", a Kremlin official said.

This comes after Trump's statement, which said there was a "good chance" that he could meet personally with Russian and Ukrainian leaders "very soon" to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

When asked at a White House press conference on Wednesday evening whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin had agreed to a trilateral summit, Trump said there was a "very good prospect" but did not provide details.

A deadline Trump has set for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face broader sanctions expires on Friday.

Trump's comments on Wednesday came after talks in Moscow between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which the US president described as "very productive".

The Kremlin issued a vague statement on Wednesday about Witkoff's visit to Moscow, calling the discussions "constructive" and noting that both sides had exchanged "signals."

Witkoff has traveled to the Russian capital four times this year. After each trip, Trump expressed optimism that a ceasefire was near.

However, last month, he admitted to the BBC that on all four occasions, Putin had disappointed him.

But the US President is now using a more cautious tone, telling reporters on Wednesday: "I don't call it a breakthrough... we've been working on this for a long time. There are thousands of young people dying... I'm here to finish this thing."

The New York Times had previously reported that Trump hoped to meet in person with Putin next week, with a possible trilateral meeting with Zelensky to follow.

Meanwhile, Zelensky said he had spoken to Trump about Witkoff's visit, with European leaders also on the phone.

Zelensky has warned that Russia will only take serious steps towards peace if it starts running out of money.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian leader showed his support for a meeting between the three leaders.

“We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can only be truly effective at the level of leaders,” he wrote in X. He added that it is “necessary to determine the timing and range of issues to be addressed.”

Expectations for a resolution by Friday are dim, and Russia has continued its large-scale air strikes on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.

As pressure mounts, Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on Indian imports due to its continued purchase of Russian oil.

Before taking office in January, Trump said he would be able to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day. The conflict has continued, and his rhetoric toward Moscow has hardened since then.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war any closer to an end, three and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.

Moscow's military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kiev and its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly rejected Kiev's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US on Tuesday approved $200 million in additional military aid for Ukraine, including support for drone production./ CNA