Trump to open to meet Putin, Zelenskyy – DW – 08/06/2025

US President Donald Trump could meet in person with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as early as next week, according to media reports citing anonymous White House sources.

The reports follow talks between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian leader that Trump described as “highly productive.”

The New York Times, CNN, AP and Reuters news agencies were among those reporting on Wednesday evening that Trump told European leaders he plans to meet soon with Putin, potentially as early as next week. 

Trump would hold a meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the initial meeting with the Russian leader, they said, citing people familiar with the plan. 

“The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump wants this brutal war to end.”

She didn’t specify a date or location for a possible meeting. 

Last week, Trump set a deadline of “10 or 12 days” for Russia to stop the war in Ukraine or face US sanctions. 

During the 2024 election campaign, Trump had vowed to bring an end to the war on his first day in office.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country supports a “lasting and reliable” peace with Russia, before later adding that Moscow seems “more inclined” to a ceasefire.

“The main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details,” Zelenskyy said in a nightly address.

The Ukrainian leader also commented on the meeting earlier Wednesday between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Russia must end the war that it itself started,” Zelenskyy posted on his X account, adding that Kyiv will “definitely defend its independence.”

Zelenskyy said European leaders had also joined his call with US President Donald Trump, without providing names. 

The White House said on Wednesday that US is still set to impose “secondary sanctions” on Russia’s trading partners, despite the “great progress” touted by President Donald Trump after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. 

Trump had set a Friday deadline for the Kremlin to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Although few details have been released about specifics, the sanctions are widely expected to target Russia’s remaining trade partners to further impair Moscow’s access to financing. 

This could include Russia’s oil-buying partners like China and India. In June, Trump had threatened 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil. 

The Financial Times newspaper reported US measures could also target Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers used to circumvent western sanctions on Russian oil, by using often dilapidated tankers with murky ownership. 

The measures would be the first punitive action towards Moscow from Washington over the war in Ukraine since Trump took office in January. However, Trump has previously set deadlines for Moscow, only to walk them back.

Moscow, so far, has shown no sign of backing down. On Tuesday, the Kremlin slammed “threats” to hike tariffs on Russia’s trading partners as “illegitimate.”

US President Donald Trump said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff made “great progress” after his meeting with RussianPresident Vladimir Putinin Moscow on Wednesday. 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the meeting was  “highly productive,” without providing details of what was discussed. 

Trump added that he had updated some of the US’ European allies after the meeting.

According to Trump “everyone agrees” that the war between Ukraine and Russia must end, and that the US will “work towards that” in the coming weeks.

Trump had promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. However, attempts at negotiating a ceasefire, or even a drawing down of hostilities, have come to nothing.

Since Trump took office, Russia has been increasing the frequency of attacks on Ukraine, with near daily bombardments of cities and infrastructure. 

Gas reserves in Ukraine are at their lowest in 12 years, analysis firm ExPro said on Wednesday.

Storage facilities are currently less than a third full and the revelation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on Wednesday accused Moscow of deliberately undermining its preparations for winter by striking a gas facility in the Odesa region.

It is not yet clear how Wednesday’s attack on the the southern region’s gas interconnector, which is used to supply US and Azeri gas through Bulgaria and Romania, will affect future gas collection.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff lasted around three hours. 

“A quite useful and constructive conversation took place,” Ushakov told journalists.

Putin and Witkoff discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the potential for improving US-Russia ties, Ushakov said.

He added that Moscow had received certain “signals” from US President Donald Trump and had sent messages in return, without elaborating on details. 

The meeting comes just days ahead of a deadline set by Trump for Russia agree to a Ukraine peace deal. 

German politicians are debating whether to slash financial assistance for Ukrainian refugees.

How does the country stack up against its EU neighbors when it comes to generosity in helping those fleeing war?

Read the full story on aid provided for Ukrainian refugees in Germany and across Europe.

Russian drones struck a gas pumping station in southern Ukraine, part of an LNG imports scheme from the United States and Azerbaijan, Kyiv’s energy ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said the attack on the site near the Ukraine-Romania border was aimed “purely against civilian infrastructure” and targeting relations with Azerbaijan, the US and European partners.

There was no immediate comment from Russia. 

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks.

The Kremlin did not immediately provide more information regarding the meeting.

There had been doubts as to whether the two would meet during Witkoff’s visit to Moscow but Russian state media said the meeting was to take place on Wednesday.

Donald Trump has put a Friday deadline for Putin to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday two people were killed after a Russian attack set ablaze a holiday camp in central Ukraine.

Describing it as a “zero military sense” strike, Zelenskyy condemned the “cruelty” of the attack, “aimed at instilling fear.”

“Right now in the Zaporizhzhia district, our medics and first responders are helping those wounded in a Russian strike on an ordinary recreation center,” Zelenskyy posted on X. 

“Twelve people have been injured. As of now, sadly, two people are confirmed dead.”

Ukraine’s defense minister has expressed gratitude toward the US for approving more than $200 million (€175 million) in deals to supply arms to Ukraine, funded by allies and arising from agreements between the US and Ukrainian presidents.

“Grateful to the US for approving over $200M in Foreign Military Sales for Ukraine,” Denys Shmyhal posted on X.

“The first package includes equipment, repairs, and technical support for M777 howitzers, valued at $104 million. The second package, worth $99.5 million, covers transportation and cargo consolidation and other logistical services.”
Entirely funded by partner countries, these packages are a boost to Ukraine’s defense and regional security,” he added.

Patience is required over Russian-US relations, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

In remarks carried by the Russian TASS state news agency, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “There is, of course, inertia in this process,” referring to the prolonged absence of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

“It takes time for efforts to bring bilateral relations back onto a normal track.”

US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, state media reported, where he will meet with Russian officials , with President Donald Trump’s deadline to impose fresh sanctions over the war in Ukraine just days away.

It is unclear whether Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump has given the Kremlin until Friday to halt its offensive in Ukraine or face further sanctions.

The White House has not been specific regarding potential penalties, but Trump has previously threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” targeting Moscow’s remaining trade partners, including China and India.

Trump said Tuesday that he would await the outcome of Witkoff’s visit before moving forward. 

“We’re going to see what happens,” he told reporters. “We’ll make that determination at that time.”

After arriving in the Russian capital, Witkoff was met by presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev, Russian state news agency TASS said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had had a “productive” conversation with his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

The Ukrainian president said “the key focus” of their conversation centered around “ending the war.”

“Many months could have already passed without war, had Russia not been prolonging it,” he continued. 

“Today, we coordinated our positions, Ukraine and the United States. We exchanged assessments of the situation: The Russians have intensified the brutality of their attacks. President Trump is fully informed about Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities and communities.”

Zelenskyy said the pair also spoke about sanctions on Russia with Trump’s August 8 deadline for Putin to end the war looming large.

“Their economy continues to decline, and that’s exactly why Moscow is so sensitive to this prospect and President Trump’s resolve,” Zelenskyy said.

Today’s spotlight is firmly on Moscow, where US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with Russian officials, just days ahead of a deadline set by his boss.

President Donald Trump has warned that if Russia fails to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by Friday, it will face new sanctions.

However, the lack of urgency in Moscow over the past few days suggests Witkoff may leave empty handed. In fact, sources close to the Kremlin say Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he is gaining ground in Ukraine, and that takes precedence over improving relations with the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has used this moment to press his case for tougher sanctions on Moscow in a call with Trump ahead of Witkoff’s visit.

We’ll be covering all these topics in this blog, with a focus on the ongoing war in Ukraine.