U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in the “coming days,” according to a Kremlin aide, as a key deadline approaches for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face intensified U.S. sanctions.
The development comes as Trump continues to push for a breakthrough in ending the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion. At a White House briefing on Wednesday, Trump hinted at the possibility of a three-way summit involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying there was a “very good prospect” for such a meeting, though details remain sparse.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed that a location for the Trump-Putin meeting had been agreed upon, with final logistics still under discussion. Ushakov noted that the idea of a trilateral summit had surfaced during a visit by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow this week, though Russia had offered no official response to the proposal.
Witkoff, who has made four trips to Moscow this year, has served as Trump’s backchannel negotiator, but admitted in a recent BBC interview that Putin has failed to meet expectations during each visit. Nonetheless, Trump remains cautiously optimistic. “I don’t call it a breakthrough,” he said Wednesday. “We have been working at this for a long time. There are thousands of young people dying. I’m here to get the thing over with.”
Zelensky has voiced support for direct talks between leaders, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that “real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders,” and stressed the need to determine the agenda and timing.
Despite diplomatic efforts, the situation on the ground remains tense. Russia continues its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities, and the U.S. has responded by approving an additional $200 million in military aid for Ukraine, including drone technology.
Trump’s ceasefire deadline expires Friday, and in a show of pressure, he signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on Indian imports over its continued trade with Russia.
While hopes for peace remain, expectations for a major breakthrough this week are low, as fundamental disagreements between Kyiv and Moscow persist.
