Trump states people are not ready for three-way meeting with Putin, Zelensky

(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky will take place.

Following his recent summit with Putin in Alaska, Trump advocated for a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents before any trilateral session. While the Kremlin has not ruled out a bilateral discussion, it emphasized that such a meeting should occur only after meaningful progress in the peace process has been achieved.

When asked about the potential trilateral meeting in an interview, Trump stated, “A tri would happen. A bi, I don’t know about, but a tri will happen. But, you know, sometimes people aren’t ready for it.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia remains open to direct talks with Ukraine, though preparations for such a meeting are not “very active.” “All our positions have been communicated,” he said, adding that Ukraine has also submitted its proposals. “Further discussion is necessary.”

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reports that Moscow has agreed to “show some flexibility” on several points discussed by Putin and Trump in Alaska. However, during a subsequent session with Zelensky and European NATO representatives, “Zelensky said no to everything,” Lavrov stated.

The top diplomat also criticized the reaction of Kiev’s Western backers, suggesting that their response “indicates that they don’t want peace.”

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