A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump is set to take place “in the coming days” following an “American proposal,” according to Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov. Interfax news agency quoted Ushakov stating, “At the proposal of the American side, a high-level bilateral meeting in the coming days, specifically between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, has been essentially agreed upon.” Ushakov added, “We are now starting concrete preparations together with our American colleagues.”
Ushakov, as reported by Tass, noted that during yesterday’s meeting between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff, the American “mentioned” the possibility of a trilateral summit involving the leaders of Russia, the US, and Ukraine. However, Ushakov stated that “the Russian side left this option entirely without comment.”
This development follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for direct talks with Putin to end the war, issued after Trump’s envoy met with the Russian leader in Moscow. Zelensky emphasized on social media the day after speaking with Trump, who claimed he could meet Putin “very soon,” that “In Ukraine, we have repeatedly stated that finding concrete solutions can be truly effective through talks at the leader level. It is necessary to establish the timing for such a meeting and the range of issues to be addressed.”
Zelensky detailed ongoing diplomatic efforts on social media platform X, writing: “Today is a day of numerous contacts to make concrete progress on the path to peace and ensure Ukrainian independence: several talks are planned,” including “a call with Chancellor Merz, already scheduled. We will also be in contact with French and Italian colleagues.” He added, “There will also be communications at the level of national security advisors. Yesterday, after the conversation with Trump and European leaders, I also spoke with the NATO Secretary General and the Finnish President. We work together.” Zelensky insists Europe must participate in any Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
UAE Suggested as Suitable Summit Location**
Russian President Putin identified the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as one of the “quite suitable” locations to host his summit with Donald Trump. Putin made the remark after meeting UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Kremlin. “We have many friends,” Putin stated, “ready to help us organize events of this kind. One of these friends is the President of the United Arab Emirates. I think we will decide, but it would be one of the suitable places, quite suitable.” Putin, however, told Tass that conditions for a summit with Ukrainian President Zelensky were still “far” from being realized.
European Markets Rally on Summit Hopes**
European stock markets continued their upward trajectory, buoyed by hopes for a truce between Russia and Ukraine following the Kremlin’s confirmation of the upcoming Putin-Trump summit. Frankfurt’s DAX index rose 1.9%, while Paris’ CAC 40 gained 1.3%. Milan’s FTSE MIB saw a more modest increase of 0.5%. Russia’s MOEX index surged 4.83%. The pan-European STOXX 600 index gained nearly one percent, driven by technology stocks.