Donald Trump has stated that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the ongoing war is scheduled to occur "very soon." This announcement follows a period of intensified diplomatic efforts concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its fifth year.
"I think with Russia, we are making a lot of progress with Russia and Ukraine," Trump told reporters. "There will be a meeting set up very soon and I think a lot of progress could be made. It will be with President Putin and President Zelensky."
Trump's statement comes after Zelensky indicated on Sunday that a trilateral meeting involving Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow was planned for November. "We are ready to talk. If it is a question of territory, it must be addressed at the leadership level," Zelensky said, adding that other issues could be handled by technical groups.
The Kremlin had previously confirmed that a meeting between the three parties was planned for November in the United Arab Emirates. Russia's willingness to resume talks, which have been stalled since the beginning of the year, followed a meeting last week in Saint Petersburg between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff had met with Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo the previous Tuesday before meeting with Putin the following day.
Both Kyiv and Moscow expressed readiness to resume direct talks mediated by Washington after these meetings. Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, had previously rejected face-to-face discussions with Zelensky and maintained Moscow's intent to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine. However, last week he suggested talks could occur "around November 10," while Zelensky advocated for discussions "as soon as possible."
In a televised interview, Putin stated that any trilateral talks would focus on the security arrangements of a final peace deal, rather than a "short" truce. This development coincides with a perceived strengthening of U.S.-Russia relations and precedes Trump's potential return to the presidency in January 2025, with a promise to end the war within 24 hours.
Despite years of attempted U.S.-led negotiations, the conflict has persisted, marked by stalled peace talks and ceasefires. Recently, Trump has highlighted his interactions with Putin, referencing a deal for Russia to sell diesel and efforts to reduce oil prices.
Trump's remarks were made shortly after Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces had recaptured significant territory in three major offensive operations this year. In his evening address, Zelensky stated that over 800 square kilometers had been liberated, including 277 square kilometers in the Donetsk region as part of Operation Vivaldi and an area near Kupiansk under Operation Veles. Zelensky asserted that Ukraine's front-line positions are currently the strongest they have been in a long time during the war.
These operations liberated 26 settlements across three regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia. According to Zelensky, Ukrainian forces liberated over 200 kilometers of territory under Operation Vivaldi, reclaiming the area near Lyman. Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky reported that the offensive pushed Russian forces back from the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk highway, a crucial supply route. Biletsky also noted that Operation Vivaldi disrupted Russia's plans to encircle the strategically important cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, reporting over 8,000 Russian losses and the capture of approximately 270 soldiers.