Trump-Zelenskyy live updates: Trump says he has begun arrangements for Putin-Zelenskyy meeting
After a successful meeting with European leaders and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the White House, President Trump took a significant step towards one of his major goals: organizing a three-way meeting between himself, President Putin, and President Zelenskyy.
In a social media post following a call with President Putin, Trump announced that he had initiated arrangements for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, with plans for trilateral talks to follow. This development marked a positive early step in addressing the ongoing conflict that has plagued the region for nearly four years, according to Trump.
The Kremlin also released a statement detailing the call, indicating that both Trump and Putin expressed support for continued direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations. There was discussion about increasing the level of representation from both sides in these negotiations, although the statement did not mention a potential one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
If Trump is successful in convincing Putin to engage in direct talks with Zelenskyy, it could signify a significant breakthrough in the peace process—an achievement that has proven elusive for the Trump administration in recent months. Previous attempts to bring Putin and Zelenskyy together for high-level meetings in Turkey and at the Vatican were met with resistance from the Kremlin.
Despite these challenges, Zelenskyy reiterated his willingness to participate in a trilateral meeting, expressing readiness for such engagement. The road to peace in the region has been fraught with obstacles, including stall tactics from the Kremlin and repeated demands that have hindered progress towards a resolution.
As efforts continue to facilitate dialogue between key stakeholders, the prospect of a trilateral meeting involving Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump holds promise for advancing peace and stability in the region.
-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston
