United Nations, August 9: A meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could take place as soon as next week, Moscow’s deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Thursday, in what Washington has billed as a renewed push to end the war in Ukraine.
Polyanskiy told reporters that several possible locations had been discussed but that the agreed venue was being kept confidential. “The timeline is, I think, next week, but that’s again judging from what presidents said themselves,” he said.
The Russian diplomat said he was not aware of any planned meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, though he did not rule it out. “I haven’t heard about any meeting planned with President Zelenskiy, but I am not in the loop,” he added.
The last face-to-face meeting between a U.S. president and Putin was in June 2021 in Geneva, when Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden was in office. There has been no U.S.–Russia summit since, as relations plunged following Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia says it acted to protect its security, while Kyiv and its Western allies describe the assault as an imperial-style land grab.
Trump, who returned to the White House in January, had vowed to end the war within 24 hours of taking office. Nearly seven months into his second term, the conflict has passed its third anniversary without a breakthrough.
Tensions between Washington and New Delhi have also risen, with Trump imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports over its continued purchases of Russian oil. On Wednesday, Trump hailed a meeting between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin, saying “progress was made.” The White House has said Russia has expressed interest in a meeting with Trump, which could happen as early as next week.
