Trump says he will know what to do if Putin refuses to meet Zelenskyy

Answering a question about what to expect if Putin does not sit down at the negotiating table with Zelenskyy regarding a ceasefire, Trump said that he would first figure out whose fault it is.

"If there are reasons why, I'll understand that. I know exactly what I'm doing. I told them to have a meeting," said the US president.

Zelenskyy–Putin meeting

Following the summit in Washington, US President Donald Trump proposed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a bilateral meeting.

According to media reports, the Kremlin suggested holding talks in Moscow, but Zelenskyy refused. The White House instead considered Budapest as an option, although there has been no official confirmation so far.

Zelenskyy stated that a meeting with Putin should take place only on neutral territory in Europe — for example, in Austria or Switzerland. He also did not rule out the possibility of holding negotiations in Türkiye.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Putin is allegedly ready to meet with the Ukrainian president "only if all the issues requiring discussion at the highest level are well worked out."

Today, Russia announced that Ukraine and Russia have not yet moved closer to holding a high-level summit. A Zelenskyy–Putin meeting is possible only when the parties agree on the agenda.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president is confident that the Russians are doing everything to prevent the meeting from taking place.