Trump: Putin-Zelensky Meeting “Is Going to Happen” Despite Kremlin Conditions

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky “is going to happen,” although the Kremlin has insisted that such a summit should only take place to finalize a comprehensive peace agreement.

Asked by reporters whether the two leaders might meet—potentially with Trump present—he replied, “It’s going to happen, but it should have happened three months ago. It’s going to happen,” without specifying a timeline.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has pushed for a swift resolution to the war, recently warning of punitive secondary tariffs of up to 100% on Russia’s trading partners if a peace deal is not reached by early September—within 50 days.

Moscow continues to express openness to negotiations but insists that any settlement must address what it calls the “root causes” of the conflict. Russia’s conditions include Ukrainian neutrality, recognition of the “territorial reality on the ground,” and commitments to demilitarization and denazification.

Zelensky has repeatedly expressed willingness for direct talks with Putin, a point reiterated by Ukrainian negotiators during the most recent bilateral discussions in Istanbul. They argued that a summit would be essential for ending the war. However, the Kremlin has maintained that such a meeting must only occur after substantial groundwork has been laid through lower-level negotiations.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized, “It is impossible to do the opposite,” underscoring that preliminary progress must precede any summit.

In addition to its military and political demands, Russia has raised questions about Zelensky’s legitimacy. His five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, but he has refused to hold new elections, citing martial law. Russian officials have warned that any agreements signed by Zelensky under current conditions could be challenged in the future. President Putin himself has not ruled out a meeting but indicated it should happen only at the final stage of negotiations.

Russia has also called for Ukraine to lift martial law and organize new elections within 100 days as part of any lasting ceasefire framework.