US President Donald Trump said on Oct 28 that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be arranged soon, in an effort to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, now in its fifth year. The Trump Putin Zelensky meeting, he said, could take place "over the next not too long."
According to the Straits Times, Trump told reporters early on Oct 28, after returning from Texas, where he held two midterm election campaign rallies, that the summit could be achieved "not necessarily through a meeting." He gave no further details on what that would involve, and the outline of his remarks does not explain the comment.
Trump also said he was meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping "on nuclear disarmament," and that "certainly, Russia would fit into it," according to the same report. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff joined him on the Texas trip, and he said they discussed Russia and the Iran war.
The war has continued for nearly five years, and the battlefield remains deadlocked, according to the report. Negotiations since Trump’s return to office have been unsuccessful, it says. As a presidential candidate in 2024, Trump promised that he could solve the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours if elected.
Trump has recently blamed Zelensky for contributing to higher US energy prices through attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. The report says the Iran war, which began in late February, is considered a bigger factor in fuel costs.
No date or venue for a summit has been set. Trump’s remarks come days before next week’s US midterm elections, where rising prices have put his Republican Party on the defensive.
The account of Trump’s comments comes from a single source, a full article in the Straits Times, and no second outlet has confirmed the remarks. No response from the Kremlin or the Ukrainian government is included in the available reporting. Key details, including the summit’s timing, location and format, remain unclear.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.