US President Donald Trump is planning to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, according to a report published today (8/6) by the New York Times. The report also emphasizes that Trump intends to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Read: “Major progress was made, everyone agrees the war must end,” says Trump after Putin-Whitcoff meeting
The American newspaper also notes that the American president’s plans were revealed during a joint phone call with European leaders and Zelensky on Wednesday.
“My special envoy, Steve Whitcoff, just had an extremely productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the US president announced earlier today in a post on Truth Social.
“Major progress was made! I then briefed some of our European allies,” he added. “Everyone agrees that this war must end and we will work toward that direction in the coming days and weeks. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump noted.
Sanctions scenario
The imposition of secondary sanctions by the US on Russia will be implemented on Friday, an American official told Reuters. According to the same source, Moscow wants to keep a communication channel open with Washington. Additionally, the US official noted that “Steve Whitcoff’s meeting with Vladimir Putin went well.”
It should be recalled that Trump has threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions and the ultimatum he set for Vladimir Putin to reach an agreement on Ukraine expires on Friday.
Meeting in Moscow
“Useful and constructive,” was how the Kremlin described Vladimir Putin’s three-hour conversation with US special envoy Steve Whitcoff. The meeting took place two days before the deadline set by Donald Trump for Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine or face new sanctions.
Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov told the Zvezda news outlet that both sides discussed the war in Ukraine and the potential for improving relations between the US and Russia. “Moscow received certain ‘signals’ from Trump and sent some messages in response regarding the war in Ukraine,” the Kremlin also characteristically stated.
Trump’s communication with Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon (8/6), according to Reuters. The communication between the presidents of Ukraine and the US took place after the meeting in Moscow between Vladimir Putin and Steve Whitcoff, Trump’s special envoy, according to an Axios report.
