Despite earlier reports suggesting a prerequisite, the former US president has stated he’s open to meeting with Putin regardless of a meeting with Zelensky
Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin, even if the Russian leader doesn’t first meet with Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
This contradicts a New York Post report on Thursday, which quoted a White House official stating, “Putin must meet with Zelensky for the meeting [with Trump] to occur.”
Trump quickly dismissed the report, telling reporters that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky was not a requirement. “He doesn’t, no,” Trump said when asked about it, adding, “They would like to meet me, and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing.”
Zelensky has repeatedly requested a face-to-face meeting with Putin to resolve the ongoing conflict. Putin has indicated he is not fundamentally opposed to such a meeting but insists that “certain conditions must be created” beforehand.
Putin has also questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy to sign binding agreements, given that his presidential term has expired and elections have been postponed due to martial law, leading Moscow to deem him “illegitimate.”
Trump’s comments follow recent remarks by Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, who suggested a meeting between Putin and Trump could happen as early as next week. Putin then proposed the United Arab Emirates as a potential location for the summit.
These developments follow a visit to Moscow by Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, who engaged in three-hour discussions with Putin regarding the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin described the discussion as “constructive,” and the White House indicated the meeting exceeded expectations.
Trump later remarked that “great progress was made,” although specific details of any outcomes have not been released.
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