Donald Trump Prefers Zelensky and Putin to Hold Bilateral Talks Before His Involvement
US President Donald Trump has expressed a preference for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to first meet separately, before he joins the diplomatic process.
According to sources cited by The Guardian and reported by ‘European Pravda’, Trump confided in his top advisors that he intends to facilitate a tripartite meeting only after the two leaders have first held bilateral talks.
The possible first encounter between Zelensky and Putin remains uncertain, and Trump has indicated he does not plan to participate directly in these initial efforts.In a Tuesday phone interview with host Marc Levin on WABC, Trump shared his view that it would be better for the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet initially without his involvement: ‘I just want to see what happens at the meeting.
They are currently organizing it, and we’ll see how it unfolds.’ An administration official described the current stance as a ‘wait-and-see’ approach regarding the potential summit between Putin and Zelensky.
The White House has no confirmed locations for the upcoming talks, and continues diplomatic preparations.Officially, the Biden administration states that US national security officials remain engaged with both Ukrainian and Russian representatives to facilitate a bilateral discussion aimed at halting the violence and ending the war.
They emphasize that public discussions about these negotiations are not aligned with current strategic interests.Reportedly, Zelensky’s team is coordinating with US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Stephen Vitkoff, and Vice President James David Vance, to prepare for possible talks.
Media reports suggest that Trump delegated Rubio to lead negotiations with European leaders on security guarantees for Ukraine.
Following multilateral talks involving Ukraine, the US, the European Commission, NATO, and several European countries, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Zelensky and Putin are expected to meet within two weeks, a development that could significantly impact diplomatic dynamics and the prospect of peace.