Putin and Trump Set to Meet after Witkoff Meeting
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation and President Donald Trump of the United States are scheduled to meet following a successful discussion between Putin and Steve Witkoff, serving as Trump’s special envoy.
According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, the venue for the meeting has been agreed upon, though it has not yet been publicly disclosed.
Ushakov uttered, “We have launched work to discuss the parameters of such a meeting and the venue for it jointly with our American colleagues now.”
Trump said, “My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.”
Trump continued, “There will be a meeting [with Putin] very soon.”
TASS News reports, “Trump later said that he believes there are strong prospects for ending the conflict in Ukraine and holding his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky. On the other hand, US State Secretary Marco Rubio said in an interview with Fox Business that the possibility of a meeting between US leader Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin depends on the progress that can be made in bringing the parties’ positions closer together on the issue of a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Ukraine.”
Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, said, “At some point, a ceasefire has to be a part of this process, because it is hard to negotiate the details of a final peace agreement while you’re shooting at each other.”
However, as the Russian Federation continues to wear down Ukrainian forces in the ongoing war of attrition, Putin must remain attentive to the perspectives of Russia’s military leadership. Any move toward a frozen conflict—or the return of territories currently under Russian control since the war began—could trigger significant internal pressure on Putin from within the country.
Naturally, President Zelensky would also face domestic backlash if he is seen as yielding to pressure from a U.S. administration under Trump. While the talks are a crucial step toward breaking the current impasse, the path forward remains difficult and uncertain.
The ongoing dialogue between the United States and the Russian Federation also underscores the relative sidelining of European powers. Any eventual agreement is likely to be shaped and implemented primarily by the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. As a result, despite their significant support for Ukraine, the European Union and the United Kingdom remain largely peripheral to the core negotiations.
Zelensky said, “We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders.”
Zelensky added that it was “…necessary to determine the timing and the range of issues to be addressed.”
The BBC reports, “Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday – when Trump’s deadline expires – and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite the US threat of sanctions.”
Partial demands from the Russian Federation include Ukraine adopting a neutral status, abandoning its aspirations to join NATO, and significantly reducing its military capabilities. Additionally, Ukraine is expected to withdraw its armed forces from territories considered part of the Russian Federation since the conflict began. Equally important to Moscow is international recognition of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions—as well as Crimea—as Russian territory.
Ukraine will naturally have opposing demands. However, from Moscow’s perspective, the military realities and cultural justifications underpinning the conflict appear largely non-negotiable, even if some minor concessions may be offered.
Regardless of the challenges ahead, if talks involving Putin, Trump, and Zelensky come to fruition, it would represent a meaningful step forward.
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