U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not a prerequisite for the anticipated Trump-Putin summit next week.
Earlier in the day, Washington and Moscow both announced plans for the upcoming summit. Soon after, U.S. media reports claimed Trump had set a condition that Putin must also meet with Zelensky, either separately or in a trilateral format.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed these reports, stating the idea was raised by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting with Putin on Wednesday, but Moscow “left without comment” on the suggestion.
When asked by a reporter if Putin’s meeting with Zelensky was a requirement, Trump replied, “No, he doesn’t. They would like to meet with me and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing.”
While Zelensky spent Thursday consulting with European allies, media outlets in both Europe and Ukraine reported growing anxiety in Kiev and European capitals over the possibility of Washington and Moscow negotiating directly without Ukrainian or European participation.
There is speculation that Zelensky may attempt to appear at the summit venue to maintain influence over the discussions. A similar scenario occurred earlier this year before a planned U.S.-Russia meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — the first since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine three years ago.
Two days before that summit, Zelensky abruptly traveled to the United Arab Emirates, announcing he would continue on to Saudi Arabia for a “previously planned” visit. However, he departed the UAE a day later after reports emerged that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman advised he could not meet with Zelensky until after the 18th, effectively preventing him from inserting himself into the talks.