Efforts are underway to organize what could be the first direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, with former U.S. President Donald Trump playing a central role in the initiative.
When asked on Fox & Friends Tuesday about the prospect of arranging the meeting, Mr. Trump said he intends to let Putin and Zelenskyy engage first before stepping in himself, noting, “they haven’t been exactly best friends.” He added, “I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he’s not, that’s going to be a rough situation.” Trump also expressed hope that Zelenskyy will “do what he has to do,” stressing that the Ukrainian leader would need to “show some flexibility also.”
The diplomatic push follows a series of high-level meetings at the White House on Monday involving Trump, Zelenskyy, and several European leaders. The discussions underscored the importance of securing lasting guarantees for Ukraine’s safety, which Trump indicated could be supported with U.S. coordination.
Trump revealed that he had already spoken directly with Putin after Monday’s talks, describing the exchange as a “very good call.” According to him, “I told him that we’re going to set up a meeting with President Zelenskyy, and you and he will meet, and then after that meeting, if everything works out OK, I’ll meet and we’ll wrap it up.” He added that resolving the conflict would require cooperation, saying, “it takes two to tango,” and warning that without some level of understanding between Putin and Zelenskyy, “we’re just wasting a lot of time.”
Zelenskyy confirmed to CBS News after leaving Washington that no date had been finalized for the possible summit. However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested it could take place within two weeks. On social media platform X, Zelenskyy described the Washington talks as “truly a significant step toward ending the war and ensuring the security of Ukraine and our people.” He emphasized that, “We are already working on the concrete content of the security guarantees. Today, we continue coordination at the level of leaders. There will be discussions, and we are preparing the relevant formats.”
The Kremlin remained cautious, with a Russian spokesperson declining to confirm Putin’s direct involvement, only stating that high-level talks were being planned.
Trump, who met with Putin in Alaska last week, stressed the urgency of arranging the summit quickly, warning that further delays could cost thousands of lives. In a private exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron, overheard by reporters, Trump remarked that Putin “wants to make a deal for me.”
Appearing again on Fox, Trump noted that the two leaders seemed to be finding unexpected common ground, saying he was surprised Putin and Zelenskyy were “getting along a little bit better than I thought,” while emphasizing that “they’re the ones that have to call the shots.” He added, “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks, that I can tell you, and we’re going to see where it all goes. It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal.”
A central theme of the White House meetings was the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy described them as a “starting point towards ending the war.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington, alongside European and other allies, would work on providing long-term security assurances once the conflict ends, though he offered no specifics. French President Macron said talks on the U.S. contribution could begin immediately.
Trump confirmed that European leaders had signaled their readiness to commit personnel on the ground if necessary, while the U.S. would likely provide air support. “We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably if you could talk about by air because there’s nobody has the kind of stuff we have,” Trump explained, before downplaying concerns, adding, “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
He concluded by noting that security arrangements for Ukraine would not include NATO membership, saying, “There will be some form of security. It can’t be NATO, because that was a—that’s just not something that would ever, ever happen.”
