President Donald Trump appeared to back away from previous attempts to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump told reporters on Thursday that Putin would no longer need to meet with Zelensky before he would meet with the Russian leader as he attempts to negotiate a ceasefire deal between the warring nations.
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“No, he doesn’t [have to meet with Zelensky],” the president said when asked again about Putin. “They would like to meet with me, and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing.”
Trump also claimed it was up to Putin whether a Friday deadline for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine would pan out.
“It’s going to be up to him,” said Trump. “We’re going to see what he has to say. It’s going to be up to him. Very disappointed.”
Additional sanctions against Russia are expected to begin on Friday if a deal to end the three-year war is not reached.
The summit between Trump and Putin could occur as soon as next week, possibly in the United Arab Emirates, after special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow this week.
TRUMP TO MEET WITH PUTIN AS SOON AS NEXT WEEK
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not confirm a concrete date for a meeting, and neither did Trump on Thursday.
“My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the meeting. “Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”