Vladimir Putin has requested to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a private one-on-one meeting, but Donald Trump has other ideas.
Following his summit with Putin in Alaska, Trump met with Zelensky and several European leaders at the White House to discuss potential solutions to the conflict.
After the meeting, Trump shared on Truth Social that he had already initiated plans for a potential trilateral meeting between him, Putin, and Zelensky, stating: “I’m going to be there, we’re working on arrangements.”
The discussions surrounding these talks have been intense, as Trump insists that both Putin and Zelensky have expressed interest in him being present for any talks.
“They both want me there, and I’ll be there. You got to see it out,” Trump told Fox News, echoing his desire for a trilateral summit.
While the U.S. president has pushed for his involvement, Putin’s camp has remained steadfast in wanting a bilateral conversation with Zelensky.
When Trump suggested joining a potential meeting, Putin reportedly responded: “You don’t have to come. I want to see him one-on-one.”
Despite this, Trump has continued to voice his condition that it needs to be a trilateral meeting, per the Independent.
However, the situation remains fluid, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stating that Russia is open to either a trilateral or bilateral meeting, emphasizing that such talks must be thoroughly prepared and not merely for media attention.
Zelensky, for his part, expressed readiness for the proposed trilateral meeting.
"We are ready for a trilateral," the Ukrainian president declared after Monday’s summit.
While the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is not finalized, it would mark the first direct one-on-one between the two leaders since 2019, before the war in Ukraine began.
As tensions persist, Zelensky continues to push for peace but remains adamant about not conceding Ukrainian territory.
“Peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea,” he noted, further emphasizing that any peace agreement must uphold Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Trump, meanwhile, has suggested that Zelensky could end the war immediately if he were to make two significant concessions: abandoning Ukraine’s goal of joining NATO and accepting Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”
These comments echo long-standing Russian demands for Ukraine to relinquish certain territories as part of any peace agreement.
Zelensky has been firm in his refusal to accept these terms.
"The territory’s loss in 2014 only emboldened Vladimir Putin to launch a wider invasion years later," he explained, underlining that Ukraine cannot afford to make further concessions.
"Ukraine is defending its independence, and giving up land now would only set the stage for further aggression."