Trump Promised A Three-way Meeting With Putin And Zelensky
- 31.08.2025, 14:40
He did not specify a time frame or location.
US President Donald Trump has said he will sit down at the negotiating table with Russian and Ukrainian leaders Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky to end the war between those countries. The White House chief admitted that the two are unlikely to get together without his participation. "About a bilateral [meeting between Putin and Zelensky] - I don't know, but a trilateral one will take place," Trump said in an interview with Daily Caller. He did not specify a time or place.
Trump explained that sometimes people are "not ready" to reconcile, and again compared Putin and Zelensky to children who fight on the playground because they hate each other. "You want to stop them, and they continue. But after a while they themselves will be happy to stop. You know? It's pretty much the same thing. Sometimes they need to fight a little bit before they can be stopped," Trump noted. At the same time, he stipulated that this has been going on for a very long time, causing "a lot of people to die."
Trump announced plans to organize talks that would be Putin and Zelensky's first face-to-face meeting since 2021 on August 18 - shortly after he personally met with the two of them in turn and hosted European leaders along with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. However, the initiative was essentially rejected by Moscow, which put forward additional conditions. In particular, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a meeting at the level of the leaders of the warring countries is possible only after a "detailed elaboration" of the agenda, but at the same time Putin needs a "clear understanding" that the signature to the peace agreement "will be put by a legitimate person," and Zelensky's powers expired in May 2024. At the same time, the Russian army launched several strikes on Kiev, which resulted in numerous civilian casualties.
Zelensky emphasized that he is ready for talks with Putin in any format, but would prefer a trilateral meeting with Trump. "We are counting on our partners to help achieve at least a minimally constructive position from Moscow," which is "sending negative signals" about a possible meeting, he noted.
On Aug. 26, Trump said that the difficulties in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine were caused by a "large-scale interpersonal conflict." According to him, Putin refuses direct contact with Zelensky because he "doesn't like him."
Already two days later, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine would not take place. The White House then also said they were not ready to end the war.