US President Donald Trump is pushing plans to hold a tripartite summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as early as next week.
According to some US news agencies, during a phone call with many European leaders after the US-Russia summit in Alaska on August 15, Mr. Trump expressed his desire to arrange a meeting with Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky, which could take place on August 22. Some sources said that at least one European leader could participate in discussions with Mr Zelensky in Washington, but his identity has not been determined.
The condition for a successful tripartite conference is that the meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky at the Oval Office on August 18 must achieve positive results. Mr. Trump confirmed this plan on the social network Truth Social, and suggested another meeting with Mr. Putin in the near future.
Previously, on August 15, Mr. Trump had a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. Mr. Trump described the exchanges as warm, while Mr. Putin assessed them as honest and real. After the summit, Trump and Zelensky will continue to hold phone calls to discuss further steps.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Trump said that Mr. Zelensky should "agree", and emphasized that President Putin "wanted to see that done". He called on European countries to play a supporting role in the peace process. Mr. Trump affirmed that the goal is not a temporary ceasefire but a sustainable peace deal.
On the Russian side, Moscow insists a long-term solution could only be achieved if Kiev abandoned its ambitions to join NATO, de-militarized and recognized the current territorial reality, including Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia who voted to join Russia in referendums. However, Mr Zelensky has strongly rejected any territorial cuts.
Mr. Putin did not rule out the possibility of direct talks with Mr. Zelensky, but emphasized that these meetings must take place within the framework of a broader agreement.
