President Donald Trump has indicated to allies that Russian leader Vladimir Putin may be willing to engage in peace negotiations in exchange for territorial concessions, Bloomberg reported on 7 August, citing multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
Trump has reportedly informed allies he is considering hosting a summit that could include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The US president has also expressed optimism about the possibility of a ceasefire, the sources told Bloomberg.
The developments follow a meeting between Putin and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on 6 August. Trump characterized the encounter as achieving “great progress.” Following the Moscow discussions, Trump called Zelenskyy to brief him on what was discussed during the Kremlin meeting.
“That road was long, and continues to be long, but there’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on 6 August, describing prospects for meeting with Putin.
The Kremlin has moved to build momentum for potential talks. Foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on 7 August that the US and Russia have agreed on a venue for a meeting between their leaders, with plans to hold talks next week. “We are starting to work on specific issues,” Ushakov said.
However, White House officials cautioned that no meeting would be set unless Putin agrees to meet with Zelenskyy, and no location has been confirmed. Putin told reporters on 7 August he didn’t object to meeting Zelenskyy “under the right conditions, though he said they don’t exist now.”
Zelenskyy has signaled Ukraine’s willingness to participate in multiple meeting formats. The Ukrainian president said he and European allies discussed “various formats” of peace talks with Trump, including “two bilateral and one trilateral” meetings between the three presidents.
During talks with UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on on 7 August, Putin suggested the United Arab Emirates could serve as a suitable venue for a summit with Trump.
The diplomatic maneuvering comes as Trump faces a self-imposed deadline, having threatened secondary tariffs on Russian oil purchasers unless Putin agrees to a truce by 8 August. The war, now in its fourth year, has left Russia controlling nearly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Current territorial disputes center on Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and the eastern and southern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson that Russian forces don’t fully occupy. Ukraine maintains it will not cede any territory and demands Russian troop withdrawal plus reparations for war damage since the February 2022 invasion.
Previous US proposals reportedly included recognizing Crimea as Russian territory while returning parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts to Ukrainian control.
Zelenskyy coordinated positions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a phone call. Both leaders agreed “the war must be ended as soon as possible with a dignified peace.” National security advisers from Ukraine, the US and Europe are scheduled to hold an online meeting to align positions.