When asked by a reporter at the White House whether the Russian president needed to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart before their bilateral meeting, Trump responded: "No. He (Putin) doesn’t have to do that." He added, "I will do everything in my power to stop the fighting" between Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier today, the Kremlin announced that Russia and the United States had reached an agreement "at the proposal of the American side" to hold a summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in the coming days.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated in a press briefing that U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Stephen Wittkopf had proposed the idea of a three-way meeting involving Putin, Trump, and Zelenskyy during yesterday’s talks with Russian officials. However, Moscow chose not to comment on this proposal at this stage.

On Wednesday, President Trump had hinted at the possibility of a "soon" meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, amid intensified U.S. efforts to end the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since late February 2022.