As the deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in its conflict with Ukraine approaches, according to a Kremlin official, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet.
A Trump-Putin meeting could occur as early as the following week, according to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, who spoke on Thursday. He continued, “A place has been chosen, but it will be revealed later.”
Both parties have formally agreed to hold a high-level bilateral meeting in the upcoming days, according to Ushakov, who spoke to reporters at the American side’s request.
Trump stated on Wednesday that he was hopeful that a meeting would be held “very soon” with both Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the announcement followed. Moscow will be subject to broader sanctions unless a ceasefire is reached by Friday, according to Trump’s warning.
Ushakov, who met Putin for the fifth time earlier this week, discussed the possibility of a three-way summit during discussions with Steve Witkoff, the envoy for Trump, in Moscow. The potential trilateral meeting was not officially commented on by Russia.
In a letter to X, Zelenskyy stated that “Russians expect the same brave approach from the Russian side” and that “Ukraine is not afraid of meetings.” He added that discussions had a “two bilateral and one trilateral” formula, and that Europe must be a part of efforts to put an end to the war.
No breakthrough has been made despite Witkoff making numerous trips to Moscow since Trump’s January declaration to end the war. Trump acknowledged the lack of progress, saying, “We have been working at this for a long time. I’m here to end the situation because there are countless young people who are dying.
The Kremlin characterized Witkoff’s most recent discussions as “constructive” and claimed that both sides had exchanged “signals,” but it provided few details. Zelenskyy also confirmed speaking with Trump about the meeting with leaders from Europe in the interim.
A peace agreement is still not anticipated to be reached before Trump’s deadline, though. For Ukraine and its Western allies, Russian air strikes continue to strike Ukraine, and Moscow’s demands for a resolution to the war, such as Kyiv’s demilitarization, neutrality, and renunciation of NATO membership, continue to be in jeopardy.
Putin also demands the lifting of international sanctions, the recognition of Crimea, and the withdrawal of Ukraine from Russian-occupied areas. These conditions have been consistently rejected by Kyiv.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply