US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would meet with Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader didn’t sit down beforehand with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The remark contradicted earlier reports in US media which, citing unnamed White House officials, said a Putin-Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for Trump’s own summit with his Russian counterpart.
Asked by reporters in the Oval Office if Putin was required to meet Zelensky first, Trump said simply: “No, he doesn’t, no.”
“They would like to meet with me, and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing,” he added.
A day earlier, Trump said that a face-to-face meeting with Putin could occur “very soon,” after his envoy Steve Witkoff met the Russian leader in Moscow.
Trump has been trying since taking office in January to end Russia’s military assault on Ukraine, after boasting on the campaign trail that he would end the conflict within 24 hours.
He has recently increased pressure on Russia, issuing a Friday deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire deal or face increased penalties.
Asked Thursday if the deadline still stood after the talks with Witkoff, Trump did not answer directly.
“It’s going to be up to (Putin),” Trump said. “We’re going to see what he has to say.”
“Very disappointed,” he added.
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© Agence France-Presse
