Trump says ready to meet Putin, but only when Russia and Ukraine are ready to conclude a peace deal
On 2 September 2025, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he is willing to hold a new summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but only once Russia and Ukraine are ready to conclude a peace agreement. He said he could organise the meeting "immediately" but wants to wait, and again blamed personal hostility between Presidents Zelensky and Putin as the main obstacle to a deal. The remarks came amid a broader US push that included CIA Director John Ratcliffe's late-August trip to Moscow and a G20 meeting between US and Russian finance ministers.
Key points
- On 2 September Trump said he is ready to meet Putin, but only when Russia and Ukraine are ready to conclude a peace deal
- Trump said he could arrange the meeting "immediately" but prefers to hold it when a peace deal is close
- He again named personal animosity between Zelensky and Putin as the main obstacle to ending the war
- The previous Trump-Putin summit was in August 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced trip to Moscow around 25 August and proposed a Trump-Zelensky-Putin trilateral; Russian outlet Agentstvo reported Putin declined to meet him once he learned the message
- On 31 August US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at the G20, reportedly promoting a Trump-proposed 28-point settlement plan
- Trump said the end of the war is "pretty close" and claimed, without citing a source, that about 25,000 soldiers die in the war each month
Why it matters
Trump's statement sets the public US threshold for a new direct summit with Putin: concrete readiness by both Moscow and Kyiv to conclude a peace agreement. By framing personal hostility between Zelensky and Putin as the main obstacle, the US president shifts the framing of responsibility for the war's continuation away from Russia's invasion. The remarks also signal that the Trump administration expects a near-term diplomatic outcome, and they sit alongside a wider US effort — including Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow and a Treasury-level exchange at the G20 — to push both sides toward talks.
What happened
On 2 September 2025, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "immediately," but wants the meeting to take place only when Russia and Ukraine are ready to conclude a peace agreement. Trump said Putin would agree to a meeting if Trump wanted it, and that the US wants good relations with Russia, Ukraine and "everyone," describing this as good for business. He again cited personal animosity between Presidents Zelensky and Putin as the main obstacle to a deal, called the war "stupid," said its end is "pretty close," and claimed — without citing a source — that about 25,000 soldiers die in the war each month. The statement came against the background of a late-August unannounced trip to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who according to Axios proposed a Trump–Zelensky–Putin trilateral summit, and of a 31 August G20 meeting between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, where a reported Trump-proposed 28-point settlement plan was discussed.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-source coverage frames Trump's 2 September remarks as a conditional US posture rather than a commitment to meet Putin, emphasising the preconditions he set. Reporting leads with the practical effect: a Trump–Putin summit is being held back until there is readiness to conclude a peace deal. Ukrainian items also highlight counterparts' positions that place the burden of movement on Moscow — the Kremlin's line that a trilateral could only "finalise agreements," Zelensky's claim that Putin does not want to stop the war, and Ukraine's refusal to cede all of Donbas. At least one Ukrainian-language piece notes Trump's acknowledgement of mobilisation-related violence in Ukraine, signalling domestic sensitivity to the topic.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on what CIA Director John Ratcliffe's late-August trip to Moscow was primarily about. The New York Times reported that he shared a pessimistic assessment of the course of the war and urged Russia to make a deal before its military and economic position worsens. Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov said the war in Ukraine was not the main topic of the visit. The Wall Street Journal suggested Ratcliffe may also have carried a warning to Putin tied to intelligence about Russian mobilisation preparations and a possible test of NATO resolve.
Background
The previous Trump–Putin summit took place in August 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Russian officials have since spoken of an unspecified "spirit of Anchorage" or "understanding," which commentators suggested may have involved US support for freezing the conflict and transferring all of Donbas to Russia — a claim Trump has denied. Ukrainian authorities refuse any demand to hand over all of Donbas to Russian control. Around 25 August, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced trip to Moscow and, according to Axios, proposed a Trump–Zelensky–Putin trilateral; the Russian outlet Agentstvo reported Putin declined to meet him once he learned the message urged quickly ending the war. The New York Times reported Ratcliffe shared a pessimistic war assessment and urged Russia to make a deal, while the Wall Street Journal suggested the trip also involved a warning tied to Russian mobilisation preparations and a possible test of NATO resolve. On 31 August, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on the G20 sidelines — Siluanov's first such attendance since the start of the full-scale war — and reportedly promoted a Trump-proposed 28-point settlement plan, while making clear the US would not agree to economic concessions until the war ends. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said a possible three-way meeting could take place "only to finalise agreements," and Zelensky has said intelligence indicates Putin does not want to stop the war.