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Kremlin denies Putin agreed to trilateral meeting with Trump and Zelenskyy Kremlin denies Putin agreed to trilateral meeting with Trump and Zelenskyy
(32 minutes later)
Moscow says preparations under way for possible meeting with Trump but dismisses US talk of three-way summitMoscow says preparations under way for possible meeting with Trump but dismisses US talk of three-way summit
The Kremlin has said planning is under way for a possible meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump next week – but denied the Russian leader had agreed to a subsequent meeting with the US president and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vladimir Putin has said he is not ready to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even as the Kremlin said preparations are under way for a set-piece bilateral summit with Donald Trump next week.
On Wednesday Putin met Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin, and reports from Washington suggested he had agreed to meet first with Trump and then in a trilateral format, as part of US efforts to bring about the end of the war in Ukraine. “I have nothing against it in general, it is possible, but certain conditions must be created for this,” said Putin of the meeting with Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters at the Kremlin. “But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.”
On Thursday morning, however, the Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the Russian president had not agreed to this. “We propose focusing on preparations for a bilateral meeting with Trump in the first place … As for a three-way meeting, which for some reason Washington was talking about yesterday, this was just something mentioned by the American side during the meeting in the Kremlin. On Wednesday, Putin met Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin. Reports from Washington suggested the Russian president had agreed to meet Trump first and then Zelenskyy in a trilateral format as part of US efforts to bring about the end of the war in Ukraine.
“But this was not discussed. The Russian side left this option completely without comment,” Ushakov told journalists in Moscow. While the Kremlin sounded enthused about the prospect of a set-piece summit, it has denied the topic of a three-way summit with Zelenskyy was raised.
The prospect of Putin and Trump trying to come to an agreement on Ukraine with no one else in the room is likely to alarm Kyiv and European capitals. “We propose focusing on preparations for a bilateral meeting with Trump in the first place,” said a Putin aide, Yuri Ushakov, told journalists in Moscow. “As for a three-way meeting, which for some reason Washington was talking about yesterday, this was just something mentioned by the American side during the meeting in the Kremlin. But this was not discussed. The Russian side left this option completely without comment.”
Zelenskyy on Thursday was careful not to criticise Trump but said he would spend the day in consultation with European allies, including the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. “The priorities are absolutely clear. The first is to stop the killings, and it is Russia that must agree to a ceasefire. The second is a format for leaders so that the meeting can work for a truly lasting peace,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post. No venue was given for the potential bilateral summit but Putin, who was meeting Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the leader of the United Arab Emirates, in the Kremlin, suggested the UAE could be a suitable place to hold the talks. “We have many friends who are willing to help us organise such events. One of our friends is the president of the United Arab Emirates,” he said.
He added: “We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that the search for real solutions can become truly effective only at the level of leaders. We need to decide on the time for such a format, with a range of issues.” The prospect of Putin and Trump trying to come to an agreement on Ukraine with no one else in the room is likely to alarm Kyiv and European capitals, who have consistently said that Ukraine must be present for discussions about its fate.
By contrast, Russia favours the idea of a “great powers summit” at which it could try to negotiate with Trump over the heads of Europeans. Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin economic adviser, said the meeting would be a good opportunity to directly talk to Trump to prevent “misinformation” about Russia that other countries were using to influence the US president. The summit might become “an important historic event”, he claimed.
Trump called Zelenskyy after Witkoff left Russia on Wednesday. The Nato chief, Mark Rutte, and several European leaders were also on the line.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy was careful not to criticise Trump but said he would spend the day speaking with European allies. “We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that the search for real solutions can become truly effective only at the level of leaders. We need to decide on the time for such a format, with a range of issues,” he wrote in a Telegram post.
Later, he said he had spoken with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron. “I gave [Macron] our Ukrainian view of the talk between President Trump and European colleagues,” he said. “We are coordinating our positions and we both understand the need for a common European vision of key European security issues.”
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for direct discussions with Putin, with either Trump or the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as a mediator. Putin has so far dismissed the possibility, suggesting that lower-level negotiation groups should come to an agreement first. However, little progress has been made at a series of direct talks in Turkey, with Moscow sending a junior delegation and not appearing ready for real talks.Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for direct discussions with Putin, with either Trump or the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as a mediator. Putin has so far dismissed the possibility, suggesting that lower-level negotiation groups should come to an agreement first. However, little progress has been made at a series of direct talks in Turkey, with Moscow sending a junior delegation and not appearing ready for real talks.
In recent weeks, Trump had appeared to take a tougher line with Moscow for the first time in his presidency, calling continued Russian attacks against civilian targets in Ukraine “disgusting” and promising the introduction of new sanctions if progress towards a deal was not made by a deadline of this Friday.In recent weeks, Trump had appeared to take a tougher line with Moscow for the first time in his presidency, calling continued Russian attacks against civilian targets in Ukraine “disgusting” and promising the introduction of new sanctions if progress towards a deal was not made by a deadline of this Friday.
White House officials have said sanctions are still expected and on Wednesday additional tariffs were announced for India, based on the country’s purchasing of Russian oil, but at the same time Trump seemed satisfied with the outcome of Witkoff’s talks. White House officials have said sanctions were still expected and on Wednesday, additional tariffs were announced for India, based on the country’s buying of Russian oil. At the same time, however, Trump seemed satisfied with the outcome of Witkoff’s talks.
Ushakov said the discussions had been “businesslike” and claimed they focused on a bright future of cooperation between Washington and Moscow. “It was reaffirmed that Russian-US relations could be based on a completely different, mutually advantageous scenario, which drastically differs from how they developed in recent years,” he said.Ushakov said the discussions had been “businesslike” and claimed they focused on a bright future of cooperation between Washington and Moscow. “It was reaffirmed that Russian-US relations could be based on a completely different, mutually advantageous scenario, which drastically differs from how they developed in recent years,” he said.
It is not clear where a Trump-Putin summit might take place but the most likely options are Turkey or the Middle East. Ushakov said a location had already been decided but declined to name it. Trump said on Wednesday evening the meeting could happen “very soon”. Some others in Washington seemed less sure. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said a meeting could take place soon, “but obviously a lot has to happen before that can occur”.
Trump said on Wednesday evening that the meeting could happen “very soon”. Some others in Washington seemed less sure. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said a meeting could take place soon, “but obviously a lot has to happen before that can occur”.
If it goes ahead, it would be the first US-Russia leaders’ summit since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in 2021.If it goes ahead, it would be the first US-Russia leaders’ summit since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in 2021.