Trump Initiates Meeting to End Ukraine War: Plans Putin-Zelensky Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump has taken the initiative to arrange a direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as part of his latest effort to halt the Ukraine war.

On Monday in Washington, Trump held high-level talks not only with President Zelensky but also with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The main focus of the discussions was to bring an end to the nearly four-year-long Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Trump stated that he recently spoke with Putin over the phone and that preparations for the summit have already begun. Initially, a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky will take place, after which Trump will join for a tripartite discussion. On his social media platform, Trump wrote, “This is a preliminary positive step toward ending a long-standing war.”

He also mentioned that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been assigned to coordinate the process.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed that Putin has agreed to the meeting, although the exact date and location have not yet been specified.

Regarding the summit, Zelensky told reporters that he had a “very positive discussion” with Trump and is ready to meet with the Russian president in a one-on-one setting.

Moscow has not officially confirmed the meeting yet, but Russian state media TASS reported that presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov said both Putin and Trump have expressed support for direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.