Trump sees “good chance” for a very soon meeting with Putin

US President Donald Trump sees “good chances” at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. When asked by a journalist, the Republican said whether Putin and Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj had agreed to a meeting: “The chances are good that a meeting will be very soon.” But you have not yet determined where.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff had previously come together in Moscow with the Kremlin boss. Trump then described the conversation as “highly productive”, but did not give any details.

The White House had previously explained that Trump was “open” for a meeting with Putin as well as with the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj.

“The President is open to meeting both President Putin and President Selenskyj,” said Karoline Leavitt’s spokeswoman for the White House, Wednesday in Washington. Trump wanted the “brutal war” in Ukraine. The Russian side had expressed the desire for a meeting with the US President, Leavitt said. However, it neither called a date nor a place for a possible encounter.

Trump informed the European partners about the conversation of his special representative Steve Witkoff in Moscow for the Ukraine War. In the phone call with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and other heads of government, Trump also mentioned the intention of personally meeting with the Russian president, as the German press agency from Berlin government districts learned. According to Kiev, Trump also informed the Ukrainian President Selenskyj in the evening about the results of Witkoff’s negotiations in Moscow.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized on Wednesday that “numerous obstacles” would have to be cleared out of the two heads of state before a meeting of the two heads of state. “Today was a good day, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. There are still many obstacles to overcome, and we hope that we will succeed in the next few days and hours, maybe also weeks,” Rubio told Fox Business.

It is now a better understanding of the conditions under which Russia would be willing to end the war. This must now be compared with what the Ukrainians and also European allies are willing to accept. If both are close enough together, there is the possibility of a meeting for Trump.

The “New York Times”, citing two people familiar with the plan, reported that Trump intended to meet Putin personally next week. Shortly afterwards there should be a three-person meeting with Selenskyj. The TV broadcaster CNN reported similarly, which, among other things, referred to a source from a European government.