The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has named the officials who will lead efforts to mediate a potential summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff were announced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as the team responsible for coordinating with Moscow and Kiev to make the meeting happen “as soon as possible.”
Since Trump’s high-profile summit with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, last Friday, the president has made it clear that arranging a meeting with Zelensky — either bilaterally or in a trilateral format including himself — is now a key diplomatic priority. At the Alaska meeting, Trump appeared to align more closely with Putin’s stance that the best path forward in Ukraine would be a comprehensive, long-term peace settlement rather than a short-term ceasefire.
On Monday, after meeting with Zelensky and several European leaders, Trump held a phone call with Putin. While it was widely believed that Trump pressed the Russian leader to agree to a summit, the Kremlin’s official readout did not mention such a request. The absence of any confirmation has fueled speculation that Putin either declined or has not yet decided whether to attend.
The Kremlin may prefer to continue its existing bilateral negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, which resumed in May after a three-year interruption. Another obstacle is Russia’s position on Zelensky’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s president. Putin and other Russian officials have questioned his authority, pointing to the expiration of his five-year term last May without elections being held. Zelensky maintains that elections are impossible while the country remains under martial law.
Should Putin agree to meet with Zelensky, it would serve as a de facto recognition of Zelensky’s legitimacy by Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia’s chief negotiator announced on Tuesday that a fourth round of talks in Istanbul will be scheduled once the agreements reached in July — relating to prisoner swaps and the exchange of fallen soldiers’ bodies — are fully implemented.