Trump wants to meet with Putin next week – NYT
Photo: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump is planning to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week. A trilateral meeting involving the leaders of the US, Ukraine, and Russia may follow, The New York Times reports.
According to NYT sources, Trump shared his plans for meetings with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during today’s call with European leaders.
The proposed summit is expected to be held in a narrow format without participation from European leaders, limited to Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy. It remains unclear whether the Russian leader has agreed to the proposal.
One NYT source noted that European leaders, who had previously sought to coordinate peace efforts, appear to have accepted Trump’s initiative.
Besides Zelenskyy, other participants in the call with Trump included UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff’s trip to Moscow
On August 6, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a possible resolution to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Following their meeting, President Trump stated that significant progress had been made.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after being briefed by Trump, noted that Russia now appears more open to a ceasefire.
Despite these statements, Western media citing sources report that the US still plans to impose new sanctions on Russia, as a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has not begun by Trump’s deadline of August 8.
