Trump pauses role in Ukraine peace talks – The Guardian
US President Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump plans to temporarily step back from negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine and allow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting on their own, The Guardian reported.
According to American officials, the next stage in Trump's plans to end the war in Ukraine remains a bilateral meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump told his advisers that he intends to organize a trilateral meeting with the two leaders only after they meet with each other, although it still remains unclear whether this first meeting will take place, and Trump does not intend to take part in these efforts.
In a phone interview on WABC radio, Trump said: "I just want to see what happens at the meeting. So they're in the process of setting it up and we're going to see what happens."
A senior White House official described the situation as Trump's "wait-and-see approach" regarding the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. However, in recent days there have been no visible signs of real progress, and the White House does not have a list of possible venues for such a meeting.
The White House stated that "Trump and his national security team continue to engage with Russian and Ukranian officials towards a bilateral meeting to stop the killing and end the war… It is not in the national interest to further negotiate these issues publicly."
The possible meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin is being arranged on Trump's instructions by US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Zelenskyy–Putin meeting
The idea of bilateral negotiations appeared after last week, when the US president met with Putin in Alaska, and just a few days later, on Monday, held talks at the White House with European leaders and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At first, the format of a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, Putin, and Trump was actively discussed. However, after the Washington summit, the American president suggested that the Ukrainian and Russian leaders should first hold talks on their own.
According to media reports, Putin expressed readiness to receive Zelenskyy in Moscow, but the Ukrainian president rejected this proposal. Meanwhile, information appeared in the press that the White House had proposed to organize a meeting in Budapest, but this option has not yet been officially confirmed.
The day before, Zelenskyy told journalists that negotiations with Putin could only take place on neutral territory in Europe, for example, in Austria or Switzerland. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of holding the meeting in Türkiye.
