Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet within the next two weeks.
This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a conversation with journalists, according to Ukrinform citing Reuters.
Merz said that U.S. President Donald Trump persuaded Putin to agree to a meeting with Zelensky.
“During a break in the meeting, the American president spoke with the Russian president on the phone and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks,” he told reporters.
He added that Trump had agreed to extend another invitation to a three-way meeting afterward, so that negotiations could “truly begin”, added Merz. However, according to Merz, the location of this meeting has not yet been determined.”
“We don’t know whether the Russian president will have the courage to attend such a summit. Therefore, persuasion is needed,” said Merz.
He noted that Trump was impressed that the Europeans had come with a unified front, and their discussions with the U.S. administration would now turn to details on security guarantees for Ukraine.
“It is absolutely clear that the whole of Europe should participate,” said Merz.
As reported by Ukrinform, the day before, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House for a bilateral meeting.
During the discussion, Zelensky expressed hope that American and European leaders would help find a diplomatic path to end the war, and stated his expectation for a trilateral meeting involving the leaders of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.
He also thanked President Trump for his efforts to stop the killings and the war, and for supporting the format of a meeting with European leaders at the White House.
An expanded meeting also took place, involving the presidents of the United States and Ukraine, along with European leaders who had arrived in Washington to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.
During her visit to Washington, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that European leaders, together with the U.S. President, are working to end the bloodshed in Ukraine.
Ukrinform photos are available for purchase here
