U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days, according to a Kremlin aide. The announcement comes as Trump intensifies efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, with a deadline for Russia to agree to peace terms or face stronger U.S. sanctions set to expire this Friday.
Trump has suggested the possibility of an in-person meeting involving both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying there is a “very good prospect” of such a summit happening soon. While Zelensky has expressed support for high-level talks, the Kremlin has not officially responded to the idea.
The potential Trump-Putin meeting follows a recent visit to Moscow by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, his fifth since Trump took office. While previous visits raised hopes, no lasting breakthroughs have been achieved. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that a location for the meeting has been chosen, with further details to follow.
President Trump, striking a more cautious tone than in the past, said Wednesday: “I don’t call it a breakthrough… We’ve been working at this for a long time. There are thousands of young people dying — I’m here to get the thing over with.”
Meanwhile, tensions remain high. Despite looming U.S. sanctions, Russia has continued large-scale air attacks on Ukraine. In response, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on Indian imports, citing India’s continued purchase of Russian oil as a concern.
Ukrainian President Zelensky believes Moscow will only seriously consider peace when it begins to run out of financial resources. He confirmed he had spoken to Trump following Witkoff’s visit, with some European leaders also involved in the call.
While three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul have failed, and the Kremlin continues to reject direct talks with Zelensky, pressure is mounting for a breakthrough — especially as the U.S. recently approved an additional $200 million in military aid to Ukraine, including support for drone production.
With a possible summit on the horizon, the coming days may prove critical in the search for a path toward ending the nearly four-year conflict.
