War in Ukraine | A meeting between Trump and Putin planned “in the coming days”

(Moscow) The Kremlin announced on Thursday that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump was planned “in the coming days”, while dismissing a three summit for the time being with the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who insists on negotiating directly with the Russian president.

Mr. Putin considered that the “conditions” were not met for a tête-à-tête with Mr. Zelensky. Moscow had previously indicated that such an encounter only made sense in the final phase of peace negotiations.

US President Donald Trump also mentioned a possible meeting “very soon” with his counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, which would have been a first since his return to the White House in January.

Trump had resumed contact with Mr. Putin in the hope of quickly ending the Russian offensive in Ukraine launched in 2022, but has been more and more frustrated in recent weeks. He launched Russia an ultimatum that expires on Friday, summoning him to find an agreement with Ukraine under penalty of severe sanctions.

“At the suggestion of the American party, an agreement in principle has been concluded to organize a bilateral summit in the coming days,” the Kremlin diplomatic advisor Iouri Ouchakov announced on Thursday.

According to him, this meeting could be held “next week” and Mr. Putin said that the United Arab Emirates were one of the places envisaged to welcome him.

“We have a lot of friends who are ready to help us organize this type of events. One of them is the president of the United Arab Emirates, “said Putin alongside President Emirati, Mohammed Ben Zayed, whom he received at the Kremlin.

No meeting with Zelensky

Ouchakov, on the other hand, indicated that Moscow did not plan for the three -time meeting time between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, a format that was proposed by Washington.

And concerning a Putin-Zelensky summit, the Russian leader said “having nothing against” if “certain conditions” are met. “Now, unfortunately, we are still far from these conditions,” he said.

Mr. Zelensky insisted again on Thursday morning for such a meeting to be organized, calling it as a “clear priority” for Ukraine.

This sudden diplomatic acceleration comes following the visit to Moscow on Wednesday of the special emissary of the American president, Steve Witkoff, who spoke with Vladimir Putin.

The Ukrainian President for his part maintained on Wednesday evening on the phone with Donald Trump, a conversation in which several European leaders also participated.

Mr. Zelensky insisted that Europeans were included in the peace negotiations on Ukraine, from which they have so far been kept away despite the attempts of Paris, Berlin and London to influence them.

“Europe must therefore participate in the process,” argued Mr. Zelensky on Thursday.

The Ukrainian leader and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz nevertheless “rented” during a telephone conversation “the mediation efforts” of Donald Trump, according to Berlin.

Mr. Zelensky also said he had informed French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday of the latest developments during a telephone call. “We coordinate our positions and also believe that Europe will adopt a common position,” he said.

Threatening

The last flesh meeting between the American leader and Vladimir Putin took place in 2019 on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Japan, but it was above all their July 2018 summit in Helsinki who remained in the memories.

This revival of diplomatic activity comes on the eve of the expiration of an ultimatum from the United States to Russia, ordered to end the conflict. In the immediate future, it is not clear if this ultimatum is still topical.

Countries that trade with Russia are targeted, such as India and China. Trump already announced on Thursday to bring to 50 % instead of 25 % customs duties on imports from India, due to Indian Russian oil purchases.

Despite American diplomatic efforts, there is no indication that Russia has abandoned its conditions to put an end to its assault.

She claims that Ukraine gives him four partially occupied regions (those of Donetsk, Louhansk, Zaporijjia and Kherson), in addition to the Crimea annexed in 2014, and that it renounces Western arms deliveries and any membership in NATO. Unacceptable conditions for Kyiv.

Moscow has repeatedly said they wanted to discuss more broadly with Washington of the architecture of security in Europe, and in particular the expansion of NATO on Russian borders.