Trump open to meeting Putin without Zelenskyy talks first

US President Donald Trump stated Thursday that he is willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin regardless of whether the latter has held discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This position diverges from previous media reports, which suggested a different prerequisite.

Contrary to claims attributed to unnamed White House officials that a Putin-Zelenskyy summit was a necessary condition for Trump’s own meeting with Putin, the president dismissed the idea when questioned directly.

“No, he doesn’t, no,” Trump said from the Oval Office when asked whether such a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders was required beforehand.

“They would like to meet with me, and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing,” he added.

The president’s remarks came just a day after he hinted that a one-on-one with Putin might be imminent. His comments followed a visit by his envoy, Steve Witkoff, who recently held talks with the Russian president in Moscow.

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly emphasized his desire to end the war in Ukraine, reiterating his campaign promise to bring the conflict to a close within 24 hours.

Recently, Trump has taken a more forceful tone, warning Moscow of increased penalties if a ceasefire deal is not reached by Friday. When pressed on whether that deadline remained in place following Witkoff’s visit, Trump offered a vague reply.

“It’s going to be up to (Putin),” he said. “We’re going to see what he has to say.”

Trump added, “Very disappointed,” without elaborating further.