White House Claims: Putin Agrees to Bilateral Meeting with Zelensky Amid Diplomatic Efforts to Resolve Conflict
Amid recent diplomatic statements and high-level negotiations in Washington, new hopes have emerged for easing tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
According to White House press secretary Caroline Levin, President Vladimir Putin allegedly agreed to hold a direct bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This marks a significant development, reflecting ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at finding pathways toward peace.
During Tuesday’s briefing, Levin emphasized that President Donald Trump consistently highlighted issues within the conflict that require direct dialogue between the two leaders, advocating for open negotiations and diplomacy.
She further noted that during phone conversations with Trump, leaders from Ukraine and Russia expressed their willingness to sit at the negotiation table, and US support will be provided to facilitate these talks.
When asked about Putin’s confirmation of readiness for the bilateral meeting, Levin repeatedly confirmed that such commitment was made during recent diplomatic exchanges, and the US national security team is actively facilitating this initiative.
The idea for negotiations reportedly arose during talks involving President Zelensky, President Putin, and European leaders, including NATO Secretary General.
All endorsed this initiative as a crucial first step toward diplomatic resolution of the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, on Monday, President Donald Trump announced his preparations for a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian leaders following discussions with Vladimir Putin.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov assured that Moscow does not reject any formats for dialogue and remains open to negotiations to reach a compromise and establish peace in the region.