Trump forecasts rapid summit between Ukraine and Russia leaders
The US president says a meeting is near as a local ceasefire in Kherson holds its first 30 hours.
By Luca Stewart ·
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that a face-to-face meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin will happen very soon. He did not provide a specific date or a location for the gathering but said a lot of progress could be made. The statement comes as diplomatic activity accelerates across Europe and the Middle East to end the war in Ukraine.
Diplomats from the United Arab Emirates are preparing for trilateral technical talks in the first half of November. These discussions are a separate track from the high-level summit Trump described. The US president's comments follow a 90-minute phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Finland and Norway. Finnish President Alexander Stubb characterized the discussion as frank and substantive. He noted that neighboring countries have a direct stake in the outcome of the conflict. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store also spoke with Zelenskyy by phone.
European officials have pushed to secure a role in the peace process. On October 20, Gahr Store hosted Zelenskyy, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and other European leaders in Oslo. This meeting aimed to ensure that European nations influence the final negotiations. Ukrainian officials continue to insist that Kyiv must have a seat at the table. They have raised concerns about earlier proposals for a three-way summit involving the US, Russia, and China that might proceed without Ukraine.
On the ground, the US-negotiated ceasefire around Oleshky in southern Ukraine has held for 30 hours. Both the Ukrainian and Russian military confirmed that there have been no breaches during this initial period. The truce began at 3 a.m. local time on October 27. It started two days ahead of the original schedule to protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid to flow. First Lady Melania Trump announced the change in a post on X. She said the geographic area of the pause has expanded beyond the town to cover parts of the Kherson region for safe convoy passage.
The ceasefire is set to remain in effect until November 1. This window allows residents of the frontline town to evacuate. Deteriorating conditions on the ground had left many people unable to leave on their own. The local truce provides a temporary reprieve while the larger diplomatic efforts continue to take shape.
Source: RFE/RL
