The White House insists that a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin should only take place after Putin first meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This was reported by a White House spokesperson to New York Post journalists, addressing the possibility of a US-Russia summit—a topic the Kremlin has recently commented on extensively.
Special Representative Steve Witkoff recently held lengthy discussions with Putin, aiming to facilitate a trilateral summit between the leaders of the United States, Ukraine, and Russia. Such a meeting could lead to agreements on ending or suspending the Russia-Ukraine war. However, Putin interpreted the proposal as an opportunity for a bilateral meeting with Trump, as indicated by statements from his aide Yury Ushakov and Russian media, which even mention a possible date of August 15.
In response, Washington seeks to use Putin’s interest in talks with Trump to pressure the Russian leader to meet Zelensky first. For Putin, this is not politically attractive: a Trump meeting reinforces his status as a global power leader, while talks with Zelensky would frame him as one of many post-Soviet leaders negotiating with peers to resolve a conflict.
This strategy mirrors US attempts at dialogue between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Yet Putin does not view himself as an equal to Zelensky or other post-Soviet leaders; he seeks parity with Trump. As a result, negotiations have stalled, and progress towards a de-escalation remains unclear.
The White House believes Russia’s willingness to compromise depends on economic pressure, such as possible "secondary" sanctions that Trump might introduce soon. Whether these pressures will move the Kremlin remains to be seen in the coming months or years.
Today, Trump is expected to make a statement outlining his intentions regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict and future meetings with Putin and Zelensky. While the US president has repeatedly expressed a desire to end the war, Putin remains open about his intent to continue. The prospects for dialogue and conflict resolution now depend on the actions of both leaders.
