The Kremlin confirms that a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will take place in the coming days. It is the first time in years that the presidents of the United States and Russia will speak to each other in person.
Top diplomat Yuri Ushakov confirmed on Russian state television on Thursday that a meeting between Trump and Putin will take place “at the American request.” “We are working with our American colleagues on concrete preparations,” he said. A precise date and location are not yet known.
On Wednesday, US envoy Steve Witkoff was in Moscow for talks with the Russians. Both countries spoke of a “constructive” and “productive” conversation. Afterwards, the White House already hinted at a meeting between Trump and Putin.
Ushakov said that during the consultation with Witkoff it was also suggested to involve the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in the consultation. Trump has been urging a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky for some time to force an end to the war in Ukraine.
The Russians did not accept that proposal, Ushakov said on Thursday. Moscow has been very reluctant for months to negotiate directly about peace at a high level. Zelensky has repeatedly called for such talks.
The timing of the consultation between Trump and Putin is remarkable, as the American president began to lose patience with the Russians. Last month, Trump demanded that Putin reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within fifty days, otherwise the US would announce new import duties. Putin did not respond to this and continued to bombard Ukraine with missiles, much to Trump’s irritation.
Last week, the American president brought that deadline forward to next Friday, because he thought it was pointless to wait the full fifty days. It is not clear whether the sanctions will still come if the conversation with Putin does not take place before Friday.