U.S. President Donald Trump stated that there is a high likelihood of a joint meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future. He made this announcement during a conversation with reporters at the White House on the evening of August 6, Washington time (it was already the night of August 7 in Kyiv).
This is reported by Kyiv24
Plans for the meeting and negotiations with Putin
Donald Trump noted that the location for the trilateral meeting has not yet been determined. According to him, there were “very good negotiations” the day before between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Putin. The American leader expressed hope that a long-standing conflict could be resolved soon and emphasized that there is a strong possibility that the meeting will take place very soon.
“We have not yet determined the location, but today we had very good negotiations with Putin (referring to the meeting with the Russian leader by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff – ed.). There is a strong possibility that we can put an end to this path. It has been long and is still ongoing, but there is a strong possibility that the meeting will happen very soon,” Trump said.
At the same time, the U.S. President clarified that the results of Witkoff’s negotiations with Putin cannot be considered groundbreaking. However, he emphasized that “significant progress” has been made following these talks.
New economic restrictions and diplomatic efforts
Trump also reported that the United States is considering the possibility of implementing secondary tariffs not only on India but also on other countries, including China, that trade with Russia. Such measures may be aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia.
Earlier, The New York Times reported that Trump plans to personally meet with Putin as early as next week and subsequently organize a trilateral meeting involving Zelensky. According to sources, no European leaders will be involved in the negotiations.
Sources among EU diplomats confirm the preparation for a personal meeting between Trump and Putin.
The news of a possible meeting emerged after negotiations on August 6 between U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin. The talks took place ahead of the expiration of Trump’s ultimatum, which demands that Russia establish a ceasefire with Ukraine by August 8. If this condition is not met, the U.S. may impose 100% tariffs on imports of goods from Russia and its trading partners.
A few days ago, the Kremlin stated that Vladimir Putin does not rule out the possibility of direct negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but believes that such a meeting is not yet ready.