Zelenskyy Discusses Trilateral Meeting with Trump Before Possible Talks with Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared on Thursday that he talked about a potential meeting involving himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and former U.S. President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy hopes this meeting could happen next week.
In a recent social media post, Zelenskyy encouraged Putin to “be brave” and join the discussion aimed at peace. He mentioned that various formats for meetings were considered, including two bilateral meetings and one trilateral. “Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects a similar brave approach from Russia. It’s time to end the war,” he expressed.
This comes after several months of attempts from the Trump administration to arrange a sit-down with Putin, who has been reluctant in the past. Recent reports indicate that while Putin might be open to the idea, he believes “conditions must be created” before any negotiations can happen. However, those conditions are reportedly not yet in place.
Trump’s foreign policy advisor noted that while the possibility of a trilateral meeting was brought up during talks with Putin’s representative, it wasn’t deeply discussed. Instead, the focus seems to be shifting toward a successful bilateral meeting solely between Trump and Putin.
Zelenskyy has also been in touch with other European leaders, like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, to ensure a unified European stance on security matters related to Ukraine. “We are coordinating our positions to unify our view on important security issues for Europe,” he stated.
Both Germany and France have taken on more active roles in addressing the situation in Ukraine since Trump’s return to office. The United Kingdom is also involved in these important discussions, though it hasn’t been confirmed whether Zelenskyy has spoken with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the trilateral meeting.
As the situation develops, many eyes will be on the potential meeting and its impact on the ongoing conflict.
