Washington, Aug 7 (UNI) US President Donald Trump said there was a “very good prospect” of a summit meeting soon with his Russian counterpart that could lead to an end to the war in Ukraine.
“We had some very good talks with President (Vladimir) Putin today, and there’s a very good chance that we could be ending – the ending, the road ending, the end of that road,” he said in the Oval Office on Wednesday when asked about the chances of a meeting in the near-term, reports CNN.
“That road was long and continues to be long, but there’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” he said.
Trump’s comments followed a meeting in Moscow between Russian President Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff – though Trump said there had been no “breakthrough” between the two men and declined to comment on the timeline for a deal, saying “I’ve been disappointed before with this one.”
Earlier, following the Putin-Witkoff meeting, Trump told European leaders on a telephone call that he wanted to meet soon — potentially as early as next week — with Putin, followed by trilateral talks with the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Two White House officials told CNN that Putin suggested a meeting with Trump during the Russian leader’s face-to-face with Witkoff in Moscow. Following which, Trump’s aides immediately began planning for these meetings.
Though no location has been settled on, several options are under discussion, according to the White House.
It said the talks could happen as soon as next week or within the next two weeks.
