Trump says meeting with Ukraine’s Zelensky and Putin will be set up soon

• Trump said a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky will be arranged soon, as he claims “a lot of progress” on the Russia-Ukraine war.
• He gave no details, and said talks could happen “not necessarily through a meeting”; Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff also discussed Russia and Iran on the Texas trip.
• The war stays deadlocked after failed talks, while Trump faces pressure over rising prices and voter anger before next week’s elections.

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said a meeting would soon be arranged involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to end the war between their countries, now in its fifth year. 

“I think with Russia, we’re making a lot of progress with Russia-Ukraine,” Trump told reporters early on Oct 28 after returning from Texas, where he held two midterm election campaign rallies.

“There’ll be a meeting set up here soon,” he added, “with President Putin and President Zelensky.”  

“I would say it’ll happen in the over the next not too long,” he said when asked when such a summit might take place.

He also said “it could be done not necessarily through a meeting.”

The president did not provide further details.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff joined Trump on his trip to Texas, and he said that they discussed both Russia and the Iran war.

Trump also said he was meeting with President Xi Jinping of China “on nuclear disarmament” and that “certainly, Russia would fit into it.”

Trump promised as a presidential candidate in 2024 that he could solve the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours if he were elected.

The battlefield remains deadlocked and negotiations since Trump’s return to office have been unsuccessful.

In recent weeks, Trump has expressed frustration with Zelensky, blaming him for contributing to higher US energy prices through attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

But the Iran war, which began in late February, is considered a bigger factor in the high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel.

Rising prices of fuel, healthcare and housing have led many Americans to accuse the president of breaking another promise – to lower prices. 

Those voter anxieties have put Trump’s Republican Party on the defensive in next week’s elections. BLOOMBERG