White House envoy Steve Witkoff will brief Ukrainian and NATO officials Thursday on his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as President Donald Trump signals openness to a potential summit with Putin and even a three-way meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Axios reported.
Witkoff plans to hold a video conference Thursday with senior officials from Ukraine, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom to outline his recent discussions with Putin and chart possible next steps, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
The meeting follows a shift in Trump's tone toward Moscow. After previously moving toward a tougher position on Russia, Trump emerged from his Witkoff meeting expressing optimism about "progress" and raising the prospect of a summit with Putin.
On Wednesday, Trump spoke with Zelenskyy and several European leaders, informing them about the possible meeting and suggesting that it could be followed by a trilateral summit involving Ukraine. That call created uncertainty in Kyiv and other capitals, with officials unsure if U.S. policy was changing or if sanctions set for announcement Friday would still proceed.
Ukrainian officials expressed concern that Putin's proposal for a summit with Trump could allow Moscow to negotiate directly with Washington on ending the war, bypassing Ukraine and European powers. The Kremlin on Thursday acknowledged mutual interest in a Trump-Putin meeting but appeared skeptical of the U.S. plan for a trilateral summit with Zelenskyy.
The White House said Putin proposed the summit during his meeting with Witkoff. While Putin's adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that a location had been agreed upon, Putin later said only that the United Arab Emirates was one possibility. He added that he was not opposed to meeting Zelenskyy but that "conditions should be created" first.
The Kremlin stated that a Trump-Putin meeting could take place as early as next week, marking their first meeting since 2019. However, Putin cautioned that preparations might not be completed in time.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was "open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy" and "wants this brutal war to end." Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox Business that "a lot has to happen" before a three-way meeting could occur but said Witkoff's talks with Putin gave the U.S. a better understanding of Russian conditions for ending the conflict.
Trump on Wednesday also announced he would double tariffs on India to 50% starting Aug. 27 over its purchases of Russian oil, and he signaled that more secondary sanctions on Russia would be unveiled on Friday. Officials did not say whether China, another major buyer of Russian oil, would be targeted.
Zelenskyy said in a video address Wednesday that "it looks like Putin is more inclined" toward a ceasefire, but warned, "It is crucial they don't deceive us."
Trump described "great progress" from the Putin-Witkoff meeting, saying further steps toward peace would manifest "in the days and weeks to come" while cautioning he had "been disappointed before with this one."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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