Russia confirmed on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon hold a face-to-face meeting with President Trump, and an aide to the Russian leader said that it will happen in the “coming days.”
Putin advisor Yuri Ushakov said that Russia was “beginning concrete preparations together with our American colleagues.” Later in the day, Putin suggested the United Arab Emirates as the venue following a meeting with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Moscow.
US officials previously said that Putin would also have to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Trump told reporters on Thursday that the Russian leader doesn’t have to meet with Zelensky. “No, he would like to meet with me, and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing,” he said.
Putin said that he was open to meeting Zelensky but only if there was progress between the two sides on a diplomatic settlement, which hasn’t happened yet. “Alas, we are still far from creating such conditions,” he said.
The confirmation of the Trump-Putin summit comes a day before the US’s deadline for Russia to reach a deal to end the war. Trump has been threatening to impose “secondary tariffs” on Moscow’s trading partners, although he has already started targeting India with significant tariffs over its import of Russian oil.
The State Department on Thursday wouldn’t say whether the US will still impose more Russia-related sanctions or tariffs now that Trump will be meeting with Putin. The two leaders have spoken by phone multiple times since Trump came into office for his second term, but this will be their first in-person meeting.
