Trump, Putin To Meet As Soon As Next Week In Potential Breakthrough

Update(1512ET): It appears the Wednesday Witkoff-Putin meeting in Moscow has led to a breakthrough of sorts, coming right down to the wire of threatened fresh US anti-Russia sanctions set to be imposed Friday. Presidents Trump and Putin plan to meet in person as soon as next week, the NY Times is reporting.

A meeting with Ukraine's leader would then follow.

"President Trump intends to meet in person with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as soon as next week, and he plans to follow up shortly afterward with a meeting between himself, Mr. Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the plan," the breaking report says.

There's as yet been no indicators from the Russian or Ukrainian sides of the plan, or even that Moscow is aware of an 'agreement' to proceed with a meeting. According to more details:

Mr. Trump disclosed his plans in a call with European leaders on Wednesday, the people said. The meetings would include only those three men, and would not include any European counterparts. The European leaders, who have tried to play a coordinating role on meetings to end the violence between Russia and Ukraine while supporting their European neighbor, appeared to accept what Mr. Trump said, one of the people familiar with the call said.

Anti-Moscow critics have said that the Kremlin is just buying more time with Washington while its military operations in Ukraine proceed at full pace. Will a breakthrough actually come of this? 

Trump has said of a fresh call with European leaders that they agreed with him that "the war must end" - but that it must be "an honest end".

There must be something substantial cooking if both sides agree to a meeting, which would be the first such face-to-face interaction between Trump and Putin of the US president's second term.

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Bloomberg is reporting Wednesday that President Donald Trump suggested he would hike tariffs on more countries buying Russian energy, including China, as the deadline for ceasefire looms, and as US envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow trying to make headway with President Putin.

Witkoff's talks with Putin lasted three hours, according to Russian media, after Witkoff landed in the country early on Wednesday. Images in Russian media showed the two men smiling and shaking hands in an ornate, gilded hall - after having met for several rounds of meetings spanning prior months.

The Kremlin in follow-up called it "constructive and useful" - according to TASS. They discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, RIA Novosti stated.

Last month, Trump's outlook turned more dire and negative on the chances for peace. "We thought we had [the war] settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever," he had said.

And last week witnessed the single deadliest airstrikes on Kiev since the war's start - with the death toll having risen to 32 after another man recently died of his injuries, following the collapse of a nine-story apartment that was struck.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has of course welcomed the prospect tougher US sanctions and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil. He has made clear Ukraine's perspective that Putin would be forced into a serious peace deal if his war machine ran out of money.

Another u-turn on Russia pic.twitter.com/Bgm62H63qu

— zerohedge (@zerohedge)

Twitter

Wednesday saw a fresh Russian attack in the central region of Zaporizhzhia, reportedly striking a holiday camp which left two dead and 12 wounded. "There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people," Zelensky said in the aftermath.

As for the dialogue with Trump's envoy Witkoff, part of it took place through conversation with Putin’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, with the two taking a relaxed stroll through a public park in Moscow, which apparently caught some random Muscovites by surprise.

Our exclusive footage of Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin's economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev taking an early morning walk through Zaryadye park next to the Kremlin.

Notably minimal visible security as ordinary Muscovites appear surprised to find themselves among such company. pic.twitter.com/9NJWNiXLDI

— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan)

Twitter

So the Kremlin appears to be sending calm messaging, likely in hopes that Trump will hold off on implementing the more dire and drastic of consequences and threats.

Dmitriev has at the same time said he is confident Moscow and Washington can find common ground through diplomacy and honest dialogue. The CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) took to X after the Witkoff meeting and thanked his followers in English for "kind wishes for a successful visit of Steve Witkoff to Moscow," adding that "Dialogue will prevail."

Thank you all for your kind wishes for a successful visit of @SteveWitkoff to Moscow. ️

Dialogue will prevail.

— Kirill A. Dmitriev (@kadmitriev)

Twitter

Will it? Let's hope so.