Trump says a Putin-Zelensky meeting would be ‘great’
“I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Donald Trump said a face-to-face meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin would be “great,” throwing his weight behind the prospect of direct talks while insisting that any breakthrough would require concessions from both Ukraine and Russia.
“I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
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“I think it would be great if they met. They should – get it done,” he added.
Mr Trump, who has drawn criticism for berating Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office last year while also inviting Mr Putin to a summit in Alaska, had promised to end the Ukraine war within a day of taking office.
Municipal workers and residents remove debris from streets after a Russian air strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine
“They’re going to both make compromises, I suggested those compromises, and you know, we’ve had a lot to do with it,” President Trump said of Ukraine and Russia, without elaborating.
Mr Zelensky called for a meeting with Mr Putin in a rare open letter to the Russian leader yesterday, shortly after the Kremlin chief acknowledged that Russia needed to reinforce its air defences following a wave of Ukrainian attacks.
The Kremlin said Mr Putin had not yet seen the letter, but added that Mr Zelensky could meet Mr Putin in Moscow “any time” – an option the Ukrainian president had already rejected in his letter.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us – and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Mr Zelensky said in the letter.
“I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting. Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations,” he added.
Mr Zelensky released the letter a day after Ukrainian drones struck Saint Petersburg, where Mr Putin’s home city is hosting a major international economic forum this week.
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly argued that only direct talks with the Russian president can produce an agreement on territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region – even though Ukraine’s military still holds large areas there – as a condition for peace negotiations.
Speaking to foreign journalists in Saint Petersburg shortly before Mr Zelensky’s appeal became public, Mr Putin again cast doubt on the Ukrainian leader’s legitimacy.
He said the question of whether Mr Zelensky remained Ukraine’s legitimate leader required “analysis” after his initial five-year term expired in 2024.
Martial law bars elections during wartime in Ukraine, and Mr Zelensky has said he would hold a vote or referendum on any final peace agreement if a full ceasefire were in place.
Mr Putin has said he would meet Mr Zelensky only to sign off on a deal that had already been agreed, rejecting calls for talks before that point.
‘Strengthen’ air defences
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up its long-range retaliatory strikes on Russian energy and military sites, describing them as a justified response to Russia’s nightly bombardments.
“If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence,” Mr Zelensky said in the letter.
Yesterday, Mr Putin praised what he described as his forces’ battlefield gains, even as confidence has been growing in Ukraine.
Read more: Putin says Russia must strengthen air defences after Ukraine strikes
Asked whether Russia’s offensive in Ukraine had become a “strategic disaster”, Mr Putin said Russia was “advancing along the entire line of contact”.
“We are absolutely ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means,” he added.
The speed of Russia’s advance has slowed since late 2025, and recent data indicates Ukraine has clawed back territory from Russian forces.
Ukraine regained more land than it lost in May for the second month in a row, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Mr Putin also conceded that Russia must bolster its air defence network.
“Russia has an air defence system. Yes, we must improve it. Yes, we must strengthen it. And we will do so,” he said.
