Trump to continue Russia talks with Putin in person

US President Donald Trump told European leaders Wednesday he intends to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in person and later hold a trilateral with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — suggesting Trump still sees a possibility of ending the conflict through diplomacy.

1news.media informs, citing Politico, a German official said that the U.S. president informed European leaders of this plan during a Wednesday call following a meeting between Putin and Trump envoy in Moscow. On this call were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Zelenskyy, and other leaders. The official was granted anonymity to discuss the contents of the high-level phone call between Trump and European counterparts.

No U.S. president has met with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, though Trump has held several phone calls with the Russian leader since taking office.

The New York Times previously reported on the plan for the meeting, which the Times said will occur as soon as next week. The German official did not provide any details on the timing of the planned meetings.