Trump’s Controversial Condition for Meeting with Putin

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Kremlin, had earlier stated that the location of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been generally agreed upon and would soon be announced, while the White House has yet to confirm either the meeting or its location.

Citing the New York Post and quoting a White House official: “The President of the United States has a condition, stating that in order to meet with President Putin, the Russian president must first meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine. No location for this meeting has yet been determined.”

However, the report does not clarify whether Trump is seeking a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky prior to meeting with both leaders, or if he merely intends to include Zelensky in his own discussions with the Russian president.

Trump recently told reporters at the White House: “There is a very strong possibility that we are moving toward the end of the road — a road that has been long and remains long — but there is a high probability that a meeting will be held very soon.”

In response to a question on how close he believed he was to persuading Russia to commit to a full ceasefire, Trump said: “I cannot say anything. I have been disappointed on this matter before.”

According to a separate report from CNN, released earlier on Thursday, Trump has instructed his team to expedite the planning of meetings with both Putin and Zelensky.