Trump and Putin to Meet Soon? US President Sees ‘Very Good Prospect’ for Summit
US President Donald Trump is optimistic about a potential summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could lead to an end to the war in Ukraine. After a meeting between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, Trump expressed his desire to meet with Putin soon, potentially as early as next week. The two leaders would discuss ending the conflict, followed by trilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Details of the Potential Summit
– Meeting Location: No location has been settled yet, but several options are being discussed.
– Meeting Timeline: The talks could happen as soon as next week or within the next two weeks.
– Previous Meeting: The last time Putin met with a US president was in 2021 with then-President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland.
US-Russia Relations and Sanctions
Trump has imposed a deadline on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire or face secondary sanctions, including a 100% tariff on countries buying Russian oil. Despite this, Trump described the Witkoff-Putin meeting as “very good talks” and “highly productive”. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tempered expectations, saying “a lot has to happen” before a meeting can occur ¹ ².
Key Players’ Statements
– Donald Trump: “There’s a very good prospect that we could be ending… the end of that road.”
– Karoline Leavitt: “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky.”
– Marco Rubio: “A lot has to happen before that can occur… We’ve got to get close enough to that point so that a meeting like that will be productive and worth doing”
