US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be arranged “very soon,” adding that he believed “great progress” could be made.
Trump told reporters that the meeting would aim to advance peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed last week that they would resume trilateral talks with the US, according to Reuters. Zelenskyy has said the trilateral talks are planned for the first half of November and that he hopes a direct meeting with Putin will follow.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke with Putin by phone on Tuesday. They emphasized the need to end the war and expressed support for Ukraine, according to a statement. Støre also suggested that a meeting between the US, Russia, and Ukraine could take place in Abu Dhabi in mid-November, following his and Stubb’s conversations with Putin, Zelenskyy, and the US government.
Zelenskyy confirmed the plans for the trilateral talks on Friday via X, stating, “Now we all need to focus on ensuring these meetings happen—together with America, Europe, and all our partners.” The last round of trilateral talks in February ended without progress. Trump had previously expressed optimism about a potential end to the war, saying last Wednesday in Washington, “Maybe we are now as close as we have ever been,” following a meeting between his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin.
