Trump said a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting is being arranged following discussions with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday, adding that he later spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump said in a social media post. He added that he would join them afterward for trilateral talks.
“This was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years,” Trump wrote.
President Donald Trump was photographed leading Zelenskyy and European leaders through the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington on August 18, 2025.
The Kremlin released its own statement on the call, saying Trump and Putin expressed “support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.”
“The idea was discussed that the level of representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian sides should be increased. This refers to the representatives who participate in the aforementioned direct negotiations,” a senior aide to Putin said. The statement did not mention a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
If Trump is able to arrange such a meeting, it would mark a possible step forward after months of failed efforts by his administration to bring the two leaders together.
In May, U.S. officials attempted to organize high-level talks in Turkey with Putin and Zelenskyy. Putin declined to attend, instead sending lower-level Russian diplomats.
That same month, the Kremlin also turned down efforts to hold a meeting at the Vatican.
Russian officials have also delayed direct engagement by demanding that both sides prepare written conditions for peace. After taking weeks to produce the document, the Kremlin presented demands that Ukraine and Western allies have consistently rejected.
On Monday, Zelenskyy said he remained willing to take part in a three-way session.
“We are ready for the trilateral meeting,” Zelenskyy stated.
