US President Donald Trump said Thursday that a face-to-face meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin would be “great,” after the Ukrainian leader proposed direct talks with the Kremlin chief in a rare open letter.
The comment came after Trump was asked whether Zelensky wanted to meet Putin directly to “hash out the end of the war in Ukraine” because he believed Trump was too busy with the war in Iran.
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“Well, I don’t know. I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“But I think it would be great if they met. They should – get it done,” he added.
Zelensky’s appeal came shortly after Putin acknowledged that Russia needs to strengthen its air defense systems following a series of Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russian territory.
US mediation losing momentum, analyst says
The renewed push for direct Putin-Zelensky talks comes as Washington’s role in the negotiation process appears to have slowed.
Paul Goble, a veteran American analyst, told Kyiv Post last week that the Trump administration has not shown a sustained long-term strategy for ending the war.
“From the outside, I see an American negotiating team that goes to Moscow or talks to the Ukrainians, but I don’t see a clear step-by-step plan or a long-term vision,” Goble said.
Kasparov: Ukrainian Flag in Sevastopol Is the Shock Russia Needs to Accept Empire Is Dead
According to Goble, Washington’s role is likely to decline rather than expand because the war is too complex to be resolved through short bursts of diplomacy or pressure.
Zelensky proposes direct talks
In his letter, Zelensky proposed a direct meeting with Putin and offered a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us – and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky wrote.
“I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting,” he added.
He also offered a full ceasefire while negotiations are underway.
Not Anchorage, but Europe’s security table
Zelensky also appeared to push back against any attempt to settle questions concerning Ukraine and Europe without Kyiv and its European partners at the table.
“We have heard that you were promised in Alaska the resolution of certain issues concerning Ukraine and Europe. But you can see for yourself that Ukrainian and European issues are not decided in Anchorage,” Zelensky emphasized.
He said other agreed participants could join a bilateral track between Ukraine and Russia, especially those capable of serving as real security guarantors.
“Since the war is taking place in Europe, and since Ukraine needs security guarantees, while you also seek security guarantees for yourself, it would be logical to involve those who can genuinely serve as guarantors,” Zelensky said.
According to the Ukrainian president, Europe should be part of the process, along with the US, which he said could help shape a new security architecture for the region. Zelensky also noted that Washington has the capability to monitor a ceasefire along the line where hostilities stop.
The Ukrainian leader also warned that Kyiv would continue defending itself if Moscow refused to conclude that the war must end.
“If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence,” Zelensky wrote.
President Zelensky published the letter a day after Ukrainian drones struck St. Petersburg, hitting energy and military sites as Putin’s home city hosted a major international economic forum. The attack sent thick black smoke over Russia’s flagship economic showcase, undercutting the Kremlin’s image of economic resilience.
Kremlin says Moscow is open, but only on its terms
The Kremlin said Putin had not yet been shown Zelensky’s letter, but suggested the Ukrainian leader could travel to Moscow “any time” – a proposal Zelensky had already ruled out in his appeal.
“Zelensky can come at any time to Moscow,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian state media as saying.
Putin has previously said he would only meet Zelensky to finalize an already agreed deal, rejecting calls for a summit before then.
Rubio calls Russia’s war a strategic disaster
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine a “strategic disaster” for Russia during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill.
Rubio told US lawmakers there was “no doubt” that Russia would fail to achieve the core objectives it set at the start of its full-scale invasion.
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