Trump on Wednesday briefed European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his plan to meet with Putin in the coming days, and also floated holding a trilateral with the Russian president and Zelenskyy. In his evening address Wednesday, Zelenskyy said “Russia now seems to be more inclined toward a ceasefire,” adding “the pressure is working.”
But, Zelenskyy cautioned, “the key is to ensure they don’t deceive anyone in the details — neither us, nor the United States.”
In July, Trump gave Putin 50 days to come to a truce agreement with Ukraine, and then last week shortened the deadline to Aug. 8, citing frustrations with his Russian counterpart’s unwillingness to cooperate. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff held a meeting with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, as Trump’s deadline approached.
Ushakov said a venue for the Trump-Putin meeting had been agreed upon “in principle,” but did not specify where it would take place.