US President Donald Trump said it would be “great” to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after Mr Zelensky urged face-to-face talks, while stressing that any deal would require concessions on both sides.
“I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“I think it would be great if they met. They should – get it done,” he added.
Mr Trump has drawn criticism over his handling of the two leaders, after berating Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office last year while also inviting Mr Putin to a summit in Alaska. He had promised to end the Ukraine war within a day of taking office.
He has pressed Moscow and Kyiv to stop the fighting, though his focus has largely been taken up by the Iran war that the United States and Israel launched more than three months ago.
Municipal workers and residents clear the rubble from the streets following a Russian air strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine
Without spelling out what he meant, Mr Trump said he had floated possible trade-offs to both governments.
“They’re going to both make compromises, I suggested those compromises, and you know, we’ve had a lot to do with it,” President Trump said of Ukraine and Russia, without specifying.
Mr Zelensky renewed his push for direct talks in a rare open letter to Mr Putin yesterday, hours after the Kremlin chief acknowledged Russia needed to bolster its air defences following a series of Ukrainian attacks.
The Kremlin said Mr Putin had not yet seen the letter, but added that Mr Zelensky could meet Mr Putin in Moscow “any time” — an option the Ukrainian president rejected in advance in his message.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us – and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Mr Zelensky said in the letter.
“I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting. Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations,” he added.
Mr Zelensky released the letter a day after Ukrainian drones struck Saint Petersburg, Mr Putin’s home city, as it hosted a major international economic forum this week.
He has repeatedly argued that only face-to-face discussions with Mr Putin can produce a settlement on territory — an issue at the heart of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter
Russia, which invaded in 2022, has insisted Ukraine withdraw from its eastern Donbas region as a condition for peace talks, even though Ukraine’s army continues to hold large parts of the area.
Just before Mr Zelensky’s appeal became public, Mr Putin told foreign journalists in Saint Petersburg that he still questioned Mr Zelensky’s legitimacy, a refrain he has used frequently.
He said the issue of whether Mr Zelensky remained Ukraine’s legitimate leader required “analysis” because his initial five-year term ended in 2024.
Ukraine remains under martial law, which bars elections during wartime, and Mr Zelensky has said he would be prepared to hold a vote or referendum on a final peace settlement if a full ceasefire were in place.
Mr Putin has maintained he would meet Mr Zelensky only to finalise a deal already negotiated, turning down calls to meet before then.
‘Strengthen’ air defences
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up long-range strikes on Russian energy and military sites, describing them as a response to nightly bombardments by Russia’s forces.
“If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence,” Mr Zelensky said in the letter.
Yesterday, Mr Putin praised his military’s battlefield performance even as Kyiv has shown growing confidence.
Asked whether Russia’s offensive had become a “strategic disaster”, Mr Putin said Russia was “advancing along the entire line of contact”.
“We are absolutely ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means,” he added.
Russia’s advance has slowed since late 2025, and recent data indicates Ukraine has clawed back territory.
Ukraine recaptured more territory than it lost to Russian forces in May for the second straight month, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Mr Putin also conceded Russia must upgrade its air-defence capabilities.
“Russia has an air defence system. Yes, we must improve it. Yes, we must strengthen it. And we will do so,” he said.
