White House says Trump is ‘open’ to talks with Putin and Zelenskyy

The White House has indicated that former U.S. President Donald Trump is open to the possibility of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This statement was made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during remarks on Wednesday.

Leavitt noted that Russian officials had shown interest in meeting with Trump, though she did not specify the timing or location of such a potential meeting. According to an anonymous White House official quoted by the Associated Press, the meeting could take place within the next week.

“The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Leavitt said, responding to reports from the New York Times suggesting that Trump might meet with Putin in Russia as early as next week.

Trump has consistently emphasized his commitment to ending the war in Ukraine. Earlier in his presidency, he pledged to halt the conflict on “day one,” but progress has remained limited. The current developments follow a visit by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow, where he met with Russian officials.

In a social media post, Trump described the meeting between Witkoff and Putin as “highly productive” and claimed “great progress was made.” He also stated that he had updated several European allies, noting that they all agreed the war must end and that efforts would continue in the coming days and weeks.

According to a report by the New York Times, Trump plans to meet with Putin first before arranging a subsequent meeting that would include Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, AFP reported that Trump discussed the potential meeting during a phone call with Zelenskyy, citing an anonymous Ukrainian source. The call reportedly included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and leaders from Britain, Germany, and Finland.

Recent statements from Trump suggest he is considering further measures to pressure Russia, which he has accused of lacking genuine intent to end the war. These steps could involve imposing additional U.S. sanctions.