A Trump-Poutin meeting could happen as soon as next week, the White House official says

A bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could happen as soon as next week, a White House official said Wednesday.

But Trump himself was less definitive when journalists asked him at an Oval office event later in the day about whether he would meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Well, look, I don’t want to say that it is: it has disappointed me before with this,” he replied.

But he said there is a “very good perspective” of a summit between. Putin and Zelenskyy.

“Well, there is a very good perspective for them to do it,” he said. “And we have not determined where, but we had some very good conversations with President Putin today. And, there is a very good possibility that we could finish, finishing the round, ending the end of that path. That path was long and is still long. But, there is a good possibility that they are a meeting very soon.”

When asked if there was an advance in Wednesday’s conversations in Moscow between Putin and Trump Steve Witkoff’s envoy and if Putin made some concession that he has not been willing to do before “Trump replied”, I don’t call him a great advance. I mean, we have been working on this for a long time. “

Trump was asked if his opinion that Putin was “hitting” had changed, but Trump said it was too early to know.

“I can’t answer the question yet. I will tell you, in a matter of weeks, maybe less. But we have progressed a lot,” Trump said.

I would not evaluate whether they are close to an agreement, since it has been “very disappointed” before.

When Witkoff returned from Moscow on Wednesday, he transmitted to President Trump that Putin would like to meet him, said the White House official.

In response, Trump indicated that he is open to that if Putin also meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the official added.

Witkoff met with Putin for several hours before the deadline of Friday imposed by Trump so that Russia agrees a high fire with Ukraine or faces sanctions.

According to a superior administration official, the meeting “was fine”, but secondary sanctions will still be deployed against Moscow this week.

Trump has expressed a growing frustration with Putin about the conflict, shortening the deadline for a fire of 50 to 10 days, since he said he was “disappointed” in the Russian leader.

Trump, in a publication on social networks on Wednesday, described the meeting between Witkoff and Putin “highly productive.”

“Great progress was achieved! Then, I updated some of our European allies. Everyone agrees that this war must come to an end, and we will work towards that in the next few days and weeks,” Trump wrote.

Kelsey Walsh of ABC News contributed to this report.