A meeting between the leaders of the United States and Russia could take place next week, but the parties are still discussing the format and Ukraine’s involvement. Highlights from NYT and Reuters materials
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US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions starting Friday, August 8, against Russia and countries that buy its oil if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to end the war in Ukraine.
When asked by reporters whether the deadline for reaching a ceasefire agreement remained in effect, Trump replied: “That’s up to him. We’ll see what he says,” referring to Putin.
On Wednesday, August 6, Trump raised tariffs on India for buying Russian oil and said similar measures could be imposed on China. It is not yet known whether Trump will announce new steps after Friday’s deadline, Reuters writes. And how he will continue to pressure Putin to achieve peace.
Two or three sides
On August 6, US President’s special representative Steve Witkoff met with Putin. The meeting took place a day before the expiration of Trump’s ultimatum, which requires Russia to conclude a ceasefire with Ukraine by August 8.
Witkoff raised the topic of a possible Trump-Putin-Zelensky trilateral meeting. Putin responded that he was “in principle ready,” but the conditions for a face-to-face conversation with the Ukrainian president were still far from being met, he added. On Thursday, August 7, Trump said that his meeting with Putin was not contingent on the Russian leader’s willingness to meet with Zelensky.
“Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same bold position from the Russian side,” Zelensky wrote in X.
A White House official also confirmed to Reuters that Trump’s meeting with Putin could take place as early as next week.
“The American side proposed, and we agreed, to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level,” the NYT reported as saying Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told Russian news agencies on Thursday, August 7.
Vladimir Putin continues to avoid meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, although he says he is “ready” for it. Photo Getty Images
The main concern for Zelensky and European allies is that Putin could pressure Trump into making concessions that would be detrimental to Ukraine, Reuters added. There are also major doubts about how any agreement and security guarantees for Ukraine will be implemented.
Under the Biden administration, which imposed the toughest sanctions on Russia, the Kremlin has described relations with the United States as “below zero,” Reuters reports. Under Trump, both sides have already talked about a possible resumption of profitable trade and economic ties.
Possible summit in the UAE next week
During a meeting with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on August 7, Putin said the UAE would be a “perfect” place to host the summit. However, he stopped short of officially confirming that the country would host the meeting.
“There are several options for locations,” adds Dmitry Polyansky, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN.
The possible meeting with Trump is another symbolic victory for Putin, who was isolated by NATO leaders until recently over his invasion of Ukraine, the NYT writes. Everything changed after Trump, in the presidential chair, began telephone talks with the Russian leader.
European involvement
Ukraine and European leaders have long been concerned that Trump, who has been sympathetic to some of Russia’s demands, could collude with Putin to force Zelensky to accept a deal that is extremely disadvantageous to Ukraine, Reuters adds.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff joined a joint call between the US president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders, and presented some of the proposals that Putin could potentially agree to.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, after meeting with Vladimir Putin, held a conversation with Trump and Zelensky to convey the Russian president’s messages. Photo: Getty Images
Zelensky held talks with the leaders of France, Germany, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later that day. “Europe must be a participant in the peace process,” the Ukrainian president wrote in H.
Putin’s invitation to a summit with Trump looks like a reward without any concessions in return, said Nikolai Beleskov, an analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, to Reuters. It gives the impression that Russia is emerging from international isolation and negotiating on an equal footing. The Kremlin will continue to stall, using the very fact of the talks as evidence of openness to dialogue without any real concessions, Beleskov said.