Trump sets condition for Putin meeting: Talks with Zelenskyy first
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin must meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — this is a condition for his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Politico reports.
A White House representative told the outlet that Trump will meet with Putin only after the president meets with Zelenskyy.
According to the source, only after bilateral meetings can there be talk of a meeting in the Trump–Zelenskyy–Putin format.
"Trump’s continued engagement suggests he still sees a window to end the conflict through diplomacy, though the new parameters could complicate Putin's interest in the talks. The Russian president has so far resisted meeting with Zelenskyy," the outlet writes.
As Politico notes, it remains unclear what any potential meetings would mean for Trump's Friday deadline on imposing additional sanctions against countries that purchase Russian energy. He has threatened to take such measures to punish Moscow if Putin does not take steps to end the war in Ukraine.
"Trump has grown increasingly angered at Russia's role in prolonging the conflict and stymieing peace talks, as Moscow continues airstrikes on civilian targets in Ukraine," Politico writes.
Trump–Putin meeting
According to The New York Times, Trump intends to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
After that, the US president plans to hold a trilateral summit with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Initially, there was no information about a separate meeting with Zelenskyy. However, The Washington Post later reported that Trump may hold separate meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy ahead of a possible trilateral summit.
The Kremlin leader said today, August 7, that he has nothing against meeting with Zelenskyy. However, he wants certain conditions to be created first, conditions that, in his words, are "still far" off.
