Trump expresses intention to engage in meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy, the Russian and Ukrainian leaders respectively.
In a significant development, former U.S. President Donald Trump is actively working towards coordinating a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The aim is to bring these leaders together for face-to-face talks to address the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with the hope of working towards peace after more than three years of war.
The proposed summit is expected to include only the three presidents, with European counterparts not being part of the initial meetings. The location for the summit is yet to be finalized, with Budapest, Hungary, among a few other countries, expressing openness to hosting the talks. The White House aims to finalize a date and location by the end of the week.
President Trump has been trying to find a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine for months, but progress has been slow. However, he remains optimistic, stating that the U.S. would not deploy troops on the ground in Ukraine but could assist in coordination and provide security guarantees to European allies, highlighting the importance of these guarantees to achieving lasting peace.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy appears to be open to the idea of a direct meeting with Putin, as indicated by his recent statements. On August 18, 2025, Zelenskyy met with Trump and European leaders at the White House, suggesting increased diplomatic efforts linked to the peace talks.
The Russian President Putin has expressed a desire to meet with Trump in the past, but recently denied that a summit was imminent. Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump's plans for the summit were disclosed during a call with European leaders, including Zelenskyy. However, several European leaders on the call were surprised by Trump's plan and expressed skepticism.
In other news, Trump revealed that Witkoff met with Putin in Russia on Wednesday. Details about Witkoff's discussions in Moscow are yet to be disclosed, with Ukrainian officials asking for clarifications and expecting to receive more information on Thursday.
Trump has also threatened secondary sanctions against Russia as the war continues. On Wednesday, Trump signed an order to double tariffs on imports from India as punishment for its continued purchases of Russian oil.
It's worth noting that Trump's meetings with Kim Jong Un in his first term were cordial but unsuccessful in getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Trump and Zelenskyy had a one-on-one meeting at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome this year.
President Trump wants the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine to end, and with these planned negotiations, he hopes to make a significant step towards achieving peace. The talks remain in the planning stage, with active efforts to decide on logistics and timing.
[1] Source: Reuters, BBC News [2] Source: CNN, The Washington Post
The upcoming summit between President Trump, President Putin, and President Zelenskyy is aimed at addressing the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with a focus on implementing policies and legislation leading towards peace. The White House is working diligently to finalize the date and location for this meeting, with discussions involving not only these leaders but also European counterparts on strategic matters.
As the proposed summit progresses, specific details regarding potential security guarantees, war-and-conflicts resolution strategies, and policy-and-legislation proposals will likely emerge as general-news topics in various media outlets such as Reuters and BBC News.
