(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump stated that Russian and Ukrainian leaders should initially meet one-on-one before any potential trilateral peace summit.

Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday and hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington three days later. He emphasized that progress toward a lasting peace should begin even without a formal ceasefire, contrary to suggestions from some European leaders.

“I had a very successful meeting with President Putin. I had a very successful meeting with President Zelensky. And now I thought it would be better if they met without me, just to see, I want to see what goes on,” Trump said on Mark Levin’s radio show on Tuesday.

“You know, they had a hard relationship, very bad, very bad relationship. And now we’ll see how they do and if necessary, and it probably would be, but if necessary, I’ll go and I’ll probably be able to get [the deal] closed,” he added.

Zelensky has indicated he is prepared for a potential meeting with Putin, according to reports. While the Kremlin has not officially responded to the latest proposal, Putin previously expressed willingness to meet Zelensky during the “final stage” of negotiations. A senior Russian aide, Yury Ushakov, noted on Tuesday that Moscow supports the continuation of “direct negotiations between the delegations from Russia and Ukraine.”

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