A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place in the coming days, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday.
“The location of the meeting has been agreed upon and will be announced a little later,” the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Ushakov as saying.
He added that the parties have begun preparations, with “next week” identified as a benchmark, though the exact timing remains uncertain.
Ushakov also revealed that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, raised the possibility of a trilateral meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Moscow reportedly leaving the suggestion “without comment.”
The meeting between Putin and Witkoff was described as constructive, with both sides discussing continued joint efforts toward “resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” Ushakov said.
Following the announcement, Russia’s stock market jumped over 4%, according to data from the Moscow Exchange.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said there is a “very good prospect” for a summit with Putin and Zelensky “very soon” to end the war in Ukraine.
While he didn’t specify a date or location, Trump said he had “very good talks” with Putin earlier in the day. He declined to call it a breakthrough, describing it instead as part of a long-standing effort to end a “terrible situation,” adding he feels an “obligation” to end the war, even without US troops being involved.
Trump also commented on the newly imposed 50% tariff on Indian oil – a move he suggested may have influenced Moscow’s stance – and said similar tariffs on China “could happen.”
Trump confirmed that Witkoff had met with Putin in Moscow for several hours earlier in the day, but did not elaborate on the proposed summit.
“Great progress was made!” he posted on TruthSocial. “Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.”
State Department officials later confirmed the talks and said Trump is open to meeting the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia. “President Trump wants this brutal war to end,” they said.
The story might develop