Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, White House official.
The official noted that a location for the possible meeting had not yet been determined.
Separately, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Putin had expressed interest in a face-to-face meeting with Trump. She added that the president was open to meeting both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meeting would be the first between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January.
According to The New York Times, Trump is expected to hold a trilateral meeting with both Putin and Zelenskyy, following his one-on-one with the Russian leader. A source familiar with the discussions said Trump had informed European leaders of his intent to meet Putin.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump acknowledged having spoken with several European leaders after what he called a “highly productive” meeting between his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin in Russia.
“Everyone agrees this war must come to a close, and we will work toward that in the days and weeks to come,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump, who has pledged to end Russia’s three-year-old war in Ukraine on “Day One” of his second term has had several phone conversations with Putin and has met with Zelenskyy twice: once at the White House in February and again on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral in April.
