US President Donald Trump said that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could take place soon. He told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington that the talks between Russia and Ukraine were making "tremendous progress".
“I think we are making tremendous progress with Russia - with Russia and Ukraine. There will be a meeting soon. I think there is tremendous progress“, Trump said. When asked to specify with whom the conversation would be, the US president replied: “With President Putin and President Zelensky.“
Trump did not specify a date, place or format for the possible meeting. His statement also did not make it clear whether it was a direct trilateral meeting or a series of talks between the leaders.
Moscow agrees to resume technical talks
The statement comes after diplomatic contacts between Washington, Moscow and Kiev. According to the “Associated Press“ Russia has agreed in principle to resume trilateral talks at a technical level between the US, Russia and Ukraine. The proposal was discussed by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and his adviser Jared Kushner with the Russian side.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the results of Witkoff's talks with Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo. According to “Axios“ Moscow has expressed readiness to resume negotiations around November 10, with Abu Dhabi among the possible locations being discussed. This refers to negotiating teams, and does not confirm a meeting of the presidents themselves.
There are no specific parameters for a meeting of the leaders yet
There has been no public confirmation from the Kremlin or the Ukrainian presidency so far that a meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky has been agreed. The Kremlin has said that the latest proposals to end the war have little practical value, and the Russian side continues to insist on resolving what it calls the “root causes“ of the conflict.
Previous rounds of talks between the three sides were held in Abu Dhabi in January and February, and then in Geneva. They did not lead to an agreed ceasefire. Volodymyr Zelensky supports a direct conversation with Putin, but Kiev insists that it be part of a real process to end the hostilities, not just a political meeting.
The next step, according to available public data, is the resumption of technical negotiations. Only after them can it become clear whether a date and format for a meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky will be set.
Sources: apnews.com, axios.com, washingtonpost.com