Putin and Trump will meet 'in the coming days,' according to the Kremlin

The Kremlin reported that Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Donald Trump of the United States will meet "in the coming days" to try to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. What was not disclosed, however, was the location and format of the summit.

"At the suggestion of the U.S. side, an agreement was reached to organize a bilateral summit in the coming days," Yuri Ushakov, Putin's diplomatic adviser, said in remarks picked up by AFP.

The meeting would be the first between the presidents of the United States and Russia since June 2021, when Joe Biden and Putin spoke in Geneva (Switzerland).

This announcement came hours after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump is ready for face-to-face talks with Putin.

"The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is willing to meet with President Putin," Leavitt said during her routine appearance Wednesday, adding that the Republican intends to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also present at the summit.

This Wednesday, the Trump Administration's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Moscow to speak in person with Putin with the idea of paving the way toward an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The meeting between Witkoff and Putin was described as "very productive" by Trump. "My special envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a very productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin - great progress was made!" said Trump, adding that he relayed everything discussed at the summit to both European allies and Zelensky.

For its part, the Kremlin considered the meeting between Putin and Witkoff to be "quite useful and constructive," without elaborating further.

Zelensky calls for a meeting with Putin and Trump

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president reiterated that "it is necessary" to find a way to hold a three-way meeting to make progress toward ending the war.

"We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders. It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed," Zelensky wrote on X.

"Ukraine has never wanted war and will work toward peace as productively as possible. The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression," the Ukrainian president added.

UPDATE: Putin says meeting with Trump could take place in the United Arab Emirates

(AFP) On Thursday, Putin said that the planned meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, could take place in the United Arab Emirates in the coming days.

“We have many friends willing to help us organize this type of event. One of them is the president of the United Arab Emirates,” Putin said alongside Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, adding that “it would be one of the most suitable locations.”