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U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday there's a "good chance" he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon, as the U.S. leader presses Russia to end its three-year invasion of Ukraine.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Russia suggested a meeting between the U.S. president and Putin, and Trump is "open" to the idea of a meeting with both Russia and Ukraine's leaders.
Asked hours later whether Putin and Zelenskyy had agreed to a summit, Trump told reporters, "there's a very good prospect that they will." He said it's not clear where the meeting would take place. Russia and Ukraine have not commented publicly on the possibility of a meeting.
On July 28 President Erdogan reitertated his willingness to host the potential meeting between leaders in Türkiye.
"Just as the negotiation table (between Russia and Ukraine) was established in Istanbul, the peace table will also be established in Türkiye in the not-too-distant future, and this bloody war will come to an end," Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara.
Trump's comments came just days before his Friday deadline for Russia to either strike a cease-fire deal with Ukraine or face sanctions. Putin met with Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow earlier Wednesday. Witkoff arrived in Moscow earlier Wednesday in his fifth visit to Russia since the start of the year. He last met Putin on April 25.
The U.S. president called the hourlong meeting "highly productive" and wrote that "great progress was made" in a Truth Social post.
"Everyone agrees this War must come to an end, and we will work toward that in the days and weeks to come," Trump added on his social media platform.
The meeting marked a change of tone after Trump expressed frustration with Russia for much of last month. Trump also held a call Wednesday with European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
A senior Trump administration official told CBS News earlier Wednesday that the meeting between Witkoff and Putin "went well."
"The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States," the official said.
Asked about the Witkoff-Putin meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "We'll have some other discussions throughout the day, and then hopefully there'll be some announcements here fairly soon. Maybe positive, maybe not. We'll see."
Rubio told FOX Business that a Trump-Putin call could happen "over the next couple of days," though no such call is currently scheduled. He added that recent talks have helped clarify Moscow's demands, saying it "may not be what Ukraine can accept, but at least it gives us an outline to work off of."
"I think it'll take that kind of meeting to bring this thing to an end," Rubio said about a potential Trump-Putin meeting.
According to The New York Times, citing two sources familiar with the matter, Trump is preparing for face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelenskyy. The report indicated that Trump expressed his desire to meet with Putin and Zelenskyy during his call with European leaders following the Witkoff-Putin meeting in Moscow.
Trump reportedly wants to meet face-to-face with Putin next week, followed shortly by a meeting involving both Putin and Zelenskyy.
Trump has pressed both Russia and Ukraine to reach a cease-fire, but he has oscillated between blaming Putin and Zelenskyy for a lack of progress. In recent weeks, Trump has grown irritated with Putin over Russia's continued attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Last week, Trump demanded that Putin strike a cease-fire deal with Ukraine within 10 days, or Russia could face repercussions, including sanctions on Russia and countries that do business with it. That deadline runs out on Friday.
"The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday," the senior Trump administration official told CBS News following the Putin-Witkoff meeting.
At other points, Trump has lashed out at Zelenskyy and accused him of prolonging Russia's invasion, which began in February 2022. He publicly argued with the Ukrainian leader in an Oval Office meeting, and in at least two cases, his administration has temporarily paused crucial U.S. military aid to Ukraine before restoring the shipments.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Russia appears more inclined toward a ceasefire but warned against deception.
"It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a cease-fire. But the most important thing is that they do not deceive us in the details, neither us nor the United States," Zelenskyy said in his traditional video message.
Zelenskyy confirmed he spoke with Trump by phone Wednesday about the Moscow meeting between Putin and Witkoff, emphasizing that the war must end fairly. He proposed that Ukrainian officials and security advisors meet with allies "in the near future to determine our position, our common stance and our common vision" regarding cease-fire discussions.
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