In a significant development toward resolving the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The announcement was made Tuesday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, marking the most substantial progress in years toward potential peace.
According to Leavitt, the meeting was arranged after President Donald Trump spoke directly with Putin by phone.
If necessary, the U.S. may join the discussion in a trilateral format following the bilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine.
“President Trump spoke with President Putin by phone, and he agreed to begin the next phase of the peace process, a meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy, which would be followed, if necessary, by a trilateral meeting between President Putin, President Zelenskyy and President Trump,” Leavitt stated.
Next Steps in the Peace Process
The United States will continue facilitating the talks. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been tasked with coordinating with both Russian and Ukrainian officials to arrange the meeting. Leavitt emphasized that the administration is working to make it happen “as soon as possible.”
The announcement follows high-level summits that took place over the last week.
President Trump recently met with Putin in Alaska and hosted multiple European leaders at the White House for post-summit briefings.
These diplomatic efforts appear to have renewed momentum for resolving the conflict.
European Leaders Voice Support
European leaders attending the White House briefing expressed optimism and commended Trump for his role in advancing the peace process.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb remarked,
“I think in the past two weeks, we’ve probably had more progress in ending this war than we have in the past three-and-a-half years.”
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that “nobody has been able to bring it to this point” until now.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte thanked President Trump directly, acknowledging his role in breaking the diplomatic deadlock and getting Putin to agree to talks.
Other leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, also offered public praise for the U.S.-led efforts.
Behind the Meeting
The war in Ukraine has continued for over three years, with repeated attempts at ceasefires and peace negotiations failing to produce lasting results.
The new development marks the first confirmed bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy since the conflict began.
In addition to the planning of talks, Russian President Putin commented publicly on the origins of the conflict, although those remarks were not detailed during the briefing. The focus from the international community remained on the opportunity for dialogue and the possible end to hostilities.
While previous administrations and foreign powers attempted to mediate the war, the current sequence of events appears to have brought both sides to a position where direct negotiations are possible.
The planned meeting could signal a turning point, although many challenges still lie ahead.
