Washington, August 7, 2025 – In a bold and controversial diplomatic move, U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly planning back-to-back meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — excluding any European participation in what appears to be a solo-led peace initiative aimed at ending the three-year-long war in Ukraine.
According to a New York Times report, which first revealed the upcoming diplomatic engagements, Trump discussed the potential meetings during a phone call on Wednesday with several European leaders. Sources said the U.S. President informed them of his intent to first sit down with Putin and then hold a three-way summit with Zelenskyy — without any European leaders present at the table.
White House Confirms Plans, But Keeps Timeline Vague
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump’s willingness to engage both leaders but did not offer a specific timeline for the meetings.
“The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy. President Trump wants this brutal war to end,” said Leavitt.
This comes just days after Trump’s newly appointed special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow — a surprise development that has drawn attention from NATO allies and international observers alike.
Trump: “Good Chance” War May End Soon
Speaking to reporters following his call with European leaders, Trump said the diplomatic backchannel had yielded “very good talks” with the Russian side.
“There’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” Trump stated. “We had some very good talks with President Putin today, and there’s a very good chance we could be nearing the end of that road.”
Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the Ukraine war “on day one”, a key campaign promise during his return to the presidency. While such claims were initially met with skepticism, his diplomatic maneuvering suggests he’s moving aggressively toward trying to deliver on that promise — even if it means sidestepping traditional international frameworks.
Backroom Diplomacy: Witkoff-Putin Meeting Signals Serious Intent
Trump’s surprise envoy to Moscow, Steve Witkoff — a longtime real estate associate — reportedly spent three hours with President Putin at the Kremlin earlier this week. Trump later characterized the meeting as “highly productive”, claiming “great progress” toward a resolution.
While details of the Witkoff-Putin conversation remain confidential, the talks occurred just two days before a U.S.-imposed deadline for Russia to demonstrate meaningful progress toward peace or face a new round of U.S. sanctions.
“I stopped five wars in the last five months actually,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “And I’d like this to be the sixth, frankly.”
Trump Threatens Fresh Sanctions if No Peace Deal by Friday
According to White House sources, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Moscow’s reluctance to offer concessions. In a sharp warning, he has reportedly set a Friday deadline for the Kremlin to present a tangible path to peace or face renewed economic penalties from the United States.
This pressure strategy — combining high-level diplomacy with looming sanctions — represents a return to Trump’s signature “art of the deal” style of geopolitics, where unpredictable moves are often part of the negotiation.
No EU Invite Sparks Alarm in Europe
What’s raising eyebrows across Western capitals is Trump’s apparent decision to exclude European Union leaders from these critical discussions — a move that revives concerns about his “America First” diplomacy and disdain for multilateral institutions.
European diplomats, speaking off the record, expressed surprise and concern over being sidelined. Some viewed the development as an attempt to undermine NATO’s collective diplomatic approach to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“If President Trump believes he can singlehandedly broker peace, we wish him luck — but this war has affected the entire European continent,” said one senior EU official.
Zelenskyy Yet to Confirm
As of Thursday, there has been no formal confirmation from the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding his participation in any trilateral or bilateral meeting with Trump.
While Trump and Zelenskyy have reportedly spoken multiple times since January, sources say Zelenskyy is cautious about being drawn into talks where European allies are not present — especially given Ukraine’s reliance on EU military and financial aid.
What’s Next?
If the proposed meetings move forward, they would mark the first in-person summit involving Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 — a conflict that has since devastated Ukraine and reshaped global geopolitics.
For now, the world watches as Trump attempts to pivot from combative campaign trail rhetoric to high-stakes diplomatic engagement. Whether this initiative ends the war — or complicates it further — remains to be seen.
