Putin Agrees to Meet Zelensky in Peace Talks

In a significant move towards potentially ending the ongoing conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This announcement came from White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt during a press conference on Tuesday.

Leavitt stated that after the discussions between Putin and Zelensky, there may be a trilateral meeting involving the U.S., depending on the circumstances. She mentioned that “President Trump spoke with Putin and has agreed to initiate the next phase of the peace talks,” which involves bringing the two leaders together, followed by the U.S. meeting.

Leavitt also shared that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkov are all on board to facilitate this process as quickly as possible.

The announcement follows a gathering at the White House where Zelensky met with several European leaders. They provided updates after a high-stakes summit with Putin in Alaska. Leavitt highlighted positive feedback from European leaders toward Trump after these discussions.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb expressed optimism, noting that progress in the last two weeks seems more substantial for ending the war than what has been achieved in the last three and a half years. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed similar sentiments, remarking that “no one could get it to this stage” in the past years.

NATO Secretary General Mark Latte also praised Trump for breaking the deadlock and bringing Putin to the negotiating table, while various European leaders—including Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz—complimented Trump’s efforts toward peace.

Interestingly, while European leaders were focused on the positive steps forward, Putin commented on how the war initially began. At a press conference after the Alaska meeting, Putin indicated that Trump’s electoral loss in 2020 had implications for the conflict, claiming that Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if Trump had remained in office. This remark left some reporters, including Fox News’ Jackie Heinrich, questioning what assurances would be made for Ukraine’s security in the long term.