White House confirms Putin promised Trump he would meet directly with Zelenskyy
Photo: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin promised US President Donald Trump that he would meet directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated during a briefing.
"He has," she replied to a reporter’s question about whether Putin had promised to meet with Zelenskyy.
She added that preparations for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin had already begun.
The White House Press Secretary noted that the President had spoken with both leaders on the matter, and both had expressed willingness to meet each other, so the national security team would assist both countries in organizing it.
Meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin
On August 15, a meeting took place in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On August 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the US, where he held talks with Trump and European leaders at the White House.
After the talks, Trump called Putin to arrange a new round of negotiations at the level of heads of state.
However, Moscow advocated for a bilateral format for the negotiations. According to media reports, Putin insisted on a personal meeting with Zelenskyy and rejected Trump’s participation in the talks.
Possible locations for the Zelenskyy-Putin meeting include Geneva or Hungary. Switzerland has already expressed readiness to host the talks and provide Putin with "immunity" from an ICC warrant.
Media reports also indicate that Putin proposed holding the meeting in Moscow, but the Ukrainian President refused.
