A bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could happen as soon as next week, according to a White House official.
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff returned from Moscow on Wednesday and relayed to President Trump that Putin would like to meet with him, the official said.
In response, Trump indicated he is open to that if Putin also meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the official added.
President Donald Trump in Turnberry, Scotland, July 28, 2025 and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, July 27, 2025.
Getty Images/AP
Witkoff met with Putin for several hours on Wednesday ahead of the Friday deadline imposed by Trump for Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine or face sanctions.
According to a senior administration official, the meeting “went well” but secondary sanctions are still expected to be deployed against Moscow this week.
Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Putin over the conflict, shortening the deadline for a ceasefire from 50 to 10 days as he said he was “disappointed” in the Russian leader.
Trump, in a social media post on Wednesday, called the meeting between Witkoff and Putin “highly productive.”
“Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,” Trump wrote.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
