---
title: 'Trump Ready to Meet Putin, Sidelines Zelensky Prerequisite'
url: 'https://thediplomaticinsight.com/trump-ready-to-meet-putin-sidelines-zelensky-prerequisite/'
author: 'Farkhund Yousafzai'
date: '2025-08-08T10:43:00+05:00'
categories:
  - 'North America'
  - 'World'
---

# Trump Ready to Meet Putin, Sidelines Zelensky Prerequisite

**Washington (TDI):** US President Donald Trump has said he is willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine, even if the Kremlin leader does not first hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The remarks mark a departure from Trump’s earlier insistence that a Putin–Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for any summit.

Trump has given Moscow until Friday to agree to a ceasefire or face a new round of sanctions, but when asked in the Oval Office whether the deadline still stood, he offered no clear answer. “It’s going to be up to him,” Trump said of Putin. “We’re going to see what he has to say.”

Since returning to office in January, Trump has been pressing Moscow to end its military campaign in Ukraine. The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin is preparing to meet Trump “in the coming days” but ruled out including Zelensky.

**Read More: [Trump-Putin Meeting Over Ukraine May Happen Next Week](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/trump-putin-meeting-over-ukraine-may-happen-next-week/)**

Zelensky, however, insisted he must be involved in any negotiations. Asked directly if Putin needed to meet the Ukrainian leader first, Trump replied: “No, he doesn’t.”

Putin has suggested the United Arab Emirates as a possible venue for the summit, though Washington has not confirmed this, according to media reports. If held, it would be the first face-to-face meeting between US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in 2021.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that “next week has been set as a target date,” with both sides agreeing “in principle” on a location. The White House later denied that either a date or venue had been finalized, though officials acknowledged the meeting could happen as soon as next week.

The war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, with Russian bombardments devastating large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.

**Read More: [Putin Says US-Russia Ties Stabilizing, Credits Trump](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/putin-says-us-russia-ties-stabilizing/)**

Previous direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul failed to produce a breakthrough, with Russia demanding Ukrainian withdrawals from certain territories and an end to Western military support.

Trump and Putin last met in person at the 2019 G20 summit in Japan during Trump’s first term, though they have spoken by phone several times since his return to the White House.