In an interview with CBS News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US and Russia are still in the process of discussing the time, location and main content of the meeting between President Donald Trump and his counterpart Vladimir Putin.
"As far as I know, President Donald Trump has publicly proposed this meeting. Although arranging such a meeting takes more time to plan specifically, he really hopes it will happen as soon as possible," said Mr. Rubio.
Russia has also expressed similar goodwill. Now, the remaining issue is for the two sides to sit down together to agree on the time, location and topics to be discussed, the US Secretary of State added.
Secretary Marco Rubio said that in the context of the tense international situation, a direct dialogue between the two US and Russian leaders could be the "key to removing the deadlock".
President Trump believes this is necessary, and he has clearly expressed his desire for it. Hopefully everything will be settled soon" - Mr. Rubio emphasized.
On May 17, President Trump wrote on his personal account Truth Social about the plan to promote a ceasefire and Russia-Ukraine negotiations on Monday (May 19).
"I will talk by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, at 10:00 a.m. The theme of the call will be to end the war that is taking an average of more than 5,000 lives of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers per week, and trade issues. After that, I will talk to Ukrainian President Zelensky, and then together with President Zelensky, talk to NATO members. Hopefully this will be an effective day, a ceasefire will be established, and this should never have happened war will end. God bless us all!!!" - Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The last time Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin spoke by phone was on March 18, in the context of many fluctuations and tensions that have not shown any signs of cooling down.
Observers say that if a direct meeting between the two leaders takes place, this could be an important turning point in efforts to cool down global tensions, especially related to the conflict in Ukraine and the increasingly complex Russia-US relationship.
Although there is no specific time, the fact that both sides have shown goodwill shows that a diplomatic advance may be taking shape in the coming time.
