Putin has agreed to meet with Zelenskyj

Donald Trump

Trump's staff: Putin has agreed to meet with Zelenskyj

Albin Almqvist, 

Felix Wilow

Updated 20.50 | Published 19.31

 

Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Tuesday that Putin has agreed to a meeting with Zelenskyj. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

Donald Trump interrupted Monday's meeting to talk to Putin.

There, the Russian leader is said to have agreed to a peace meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyj, according to Trump's staff.

- Both leaders have expressed a willingness to sit down with each other, says White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Quick version

• Donald Trump has brokered a potential peace meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Trump's staff.
• Discussions are ongoing about where the meeting will be held, with Moscow and Budapest as possible locations, but nothing has been decided.
• White House testimony shows that security guarantees for Ukraine are a crucial part of the peace talks, without sending US ground troops there.

Donald Trump has brokered a potential peace meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Trump's staff.
Discussions are ongoing about where the meeting will be held, with Moscow and Budapest as possible locations, but nothing has been decided.
White House testimony shows that security guarantees for Ukraine are a crucial part of the peace talks, without sending US ground troops there.

Putin has agreed to a meeting with Zelensky,  Donald Trump's staff announced during a press conference.

- He agreed to initiate the next step in the peace process, a meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky. A meeting that will be followed up with a trilateral meeting with President Trump if necessary, said Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

- The president has spoken to both leaders about this, and both leaders have expressed a willingness to sit down with each other.

Leavitt further says that the idea was developed during the discussions, but does not want to answer who the proposal first came from.

 

Putin has agreed to a meeting with Zelenskyj, according to Trump's staff. Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AP

Putin's proposal: Moscow

It is still unknown where such a meeting could take place. Putin has previously suggested Moscow as a possible location - which was dismissed by Zelenskyj, according to sources to AFP.

Karoline Leavitt does not want to comment on the information.

- There are many options that are currently being discussed by our national security team with both parties, she says.

Earlier on Tuesday, The Swiss Foreign Minister announced that Putin could receive immunity from the den international arrest warrant issued against him at a peace meeting in the country.

Another possible location that has been discussed is Budapest, according to information to Politico.

 

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyj in connection with the meeting at the White House on Monday. Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Discussions on security guarantees

During the meeting at the White House, the European delegation was clear that security guarantees for Ukraine were absolutely crucial in a peace agreement. Something that Trump is discussing with Putin, according to Leavitt.

One of the proposals highlighted is a similar “Article 5” found in the NATO charter, which means collective support in the event of an attack.

Donald Trump closed the door on sending American ground troops to Ukraine on Tuesday, writes AP. According to Karoline Leavitt, Trump may “explore other options for military support”.