Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump could meet Putin to discuss ceasefire ‘as soon as next week’

Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, president Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday.

In a social media post yesterday evening, Zelensky said he and Donald Trump spoke on the phone after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin.

He said “European leaders also participated in the conversation,” and “we discussed what was said in Moscow.”

“It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that the pressure on Moscow “is working,” without elaborating.

The Ukrainian war-time leader stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not “deceive us or the United States” when it comes to “the details” of a potential agreement.

Kyiv proposes that Ukraine and its allies soon “talk to determine our position, our common position, and our common view.”

US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who was asked in an interview on Fox Business about a potential meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, said “a lot has to happen before that can occur.”

Rubio said the US would be having talks with its European allies and the Ukrainians over the next few days.

He said Trump meeting directly with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine would help close an agreement, but said: “We’ve got to get close enough to that point so that a meeting like that will be productive and worth doing.”

“Today was a good day, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead,” he said. “There’s still many impediments to overcome.”

President Donald Trump could meet in person with Russian president Vladimir Putin as soon as next week in his bid to continue to negotiate for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, a White House official has said.

The official added that a meeting has not been scheduled yet and no location has been determined.

The White House said Trump was also open to a meeting with both Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump, appearing before reporters later at the White House, didn’t answer questions about a potential location for a meeting but when asked about a summit with Putin and Zelensky, said “there’s a very good prospect that they will” meet.

However, the president declined to predict how close he was to reaching a deal to end the fighting, saying, “I’ve been disappointed before with this one.”