Trump Hopeful Of Zelenskyy-Putin Meeting 'Very Soon'
by RFE/RL · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinThe US President Donald Trump told reporters on October 28 that a meeting between the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will be set up "very soon."
Trump didn’t specify a specific date or venue for the potential meeting but did add that “a lot of progress could be made.”
It was previously announced that trilateral technical-level talks were planned for the first half of November in the United Arab Emirates.
The American president’s comments come just a day after the Finnish President Alexander Stubb and the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a 90-minute-phone call with Putin to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic leaders also spoke to Zelenskyy over the phone.
In a press statement Stubb noted that “the discussion was frank and substantive."
"We are neighboring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions," the Finnish president added.
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Gahr Store had hosted Zelenskyy, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and several European officials in Oslo on October 20 in an effort to ensure European countries have a role in negotiations to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The flurry of Western diplomatic activity comes as Vladimir Putin earlier in October proposed a three-way summit with the United States and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, toward the end of the year to conclude the war.
Oleshky Cease-Fire Holds
Meanwhile both Ukraine and Russia confirmed that there had been no breaches of the US-negotiated local cease-fire around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine in its first 30 hours.
The start of the cease-fire, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, began at 3 a.m. local time on October 27, two days ahead of schedule "to protect the safety of civilians and to facilitate the delivery of critical humanitarian aid," she said in a post on X adding that the cease-fire’s geographic area "has expanded beyond Oleshky, within the Kherson region, to provide safe passage for the humanitarian convoys."
The cease-fire will remain in effect until November 1 to allow residents to evacuate the frontline town, where deteriorating conditions had left many unable to flee.
Trump Hopeful Of Zelenskyy-Putin Meeting 'Very Soon'
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