United States Initiatives to Facilitate a Future Encounter Between Putin and Zelenskyy, According to the White House
In a significant development, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has announced planning for a direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the coming days. The announcement follows Monday's meetings in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy, and a group of European and NATO leaders.
During the meetings, Zelenskyy expressed his readiness to meet with Putin, while Trump believes Putin's course of action will become clear in the next couple of weeks. The meeting is part of "the next phase of the peace process".
According to reports, Zelenskyy intends to discuss the future of Ukrainian territory held by Russian forces with Putin. However, according to the Kyiv Independent, Zelenskyy said the question of territory will be left between him and Putin.
Trump suggested that Washington could provide air support to Ukraine, but the White House later clarified that the consideration of air support is an option being considered. The United States government is working with both Russia and Ukraine to make the bilateral meeting happen.
European and international allies are also discussing future security guarantee plans for Ukraine. NATO military leaders will continue the discussion on future security guarantees on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any meeting of national leaders "must be prepared with utmost thoroughness".
Russia has not made an explicit commitment to the meeting, but White House press secretary Leavitt confirmed that Putin has agreed to hold the meeting with Zelenskyy. If necessary, a future trilateral meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin, and Trump may follow the one-on-one meeting.
Security guarantees may be negotiated with partners, according to Zelenskyy. Leavitt confirmed that U.S. troops will not be deployed to Ukraine. Trump ruled out placing American soldiers in Ukraine.
Trump expressed hope that Putin would move forward on ending the war in Ukraine, but conceded that Putin may not want to make a deal. The meeting, if it takes place, could potentially mark a significant step towards resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
However, the specific date for the meeting has yet to be confirmed, with proposals including a trilateral summit with US President Donald Trump, potentially in Budapest, although conditions from Putin remain unclear and the timing uncertain.
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