Trump: Putin doesn't have to meet with Zelenskyy at talks

U.S. President Donald Trump at a Purple Heart Day, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 7, 2025
Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not have to agree to meet with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in order to have a meeting with him.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.

The announcement came a day after Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, held three hours of talks with Putin in Moscow.

Trump has threatened new sanctions against Russia and countries that buy its exports from Friday unless Putin agrees to end the conflict, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two.

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