Trump says Zelenskyy and Putin will meet soon
US President Donald Trump announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet soon, saying he expects significant progress in the war. Trump did not specify a date, location or format, while Ukraine and Russia continued to prepare for possible trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates.
Key points
- Trump announced on October 28 that Zelenskyy and Putin would meet soon.
- He said the United States, Russia and Ukraine are making significant progress toward ending the war.
- Trump did not disclose the meeting’s date, location, format or whether it would be an in-person encounter.
- The Kremlin said Ukraine, the United States and Russia plan trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates in November.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to participate and could meet as soon as the next day.
- Zelenskyy and Putin have not met in person since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
- Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre called Putin on October 27 to discuss de-escalation and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Why it matters
A personal meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin would be their first face-to-face encounter since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The announcement indicates renewed diplomatic activity involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States after earlier trilateral talks were postponed or failed to take place. Trump’s expectation of significant progress may influence international and Ukrainian assessments of the prospects for ending the war, but the lack of a confirmed date, venue or format leaves the practical arrangements and scope unresolved.
What happened
Trump announced on October 28 that Zelenskyy and Putin would meet soon, saying he expected significant progress in ending the war. He did not provide details about the date, place, format or whether the leaders would meet in person. Separately, the Kremlin said trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia were planned for November in the United Arab Emirates. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to participate immediately and wanted the talks in Abu Dhabi to take place before a possible meeting of Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping. He also said the planned October meeting had not occurred for reasons he attributed to Russia, while noting that arrangements for the next meeting depended on the American side.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting emphasizes Ukraine’s readiness to join trilateral negotiations immediately and its preference for talks in Abu Dhabi before a possible Trump-Putin-Xi meeting. It also highlights the absence of a confirmed date and format, the failure of the expected October meeting, and the dispute over whether the delay originated with Russia or the United States. Ukrainian coverage gives particular weight to Zelenskyy’s rejection of travelling to Moscow, his insistence that negotiations take place on neutral territory or with Putin in Kyiv, and the Scandinavian leaders’ call for de-escalation affecting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
How international sources describe it
International coverage centers on Trump’s announcement, his expectation of significant progress and the lack of meeting details. The reported trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates are presented as a possible resumption of peace negotiations, while the Kremlin describes the planned meeting as preliminary and warns against excessive expectations. Coverage of the Finnish and Norwegian leaders’ call stresses that Putin largely discussed the conflict’s historical origins and that substantial differences remained.
Where reporting differs
Western media citing Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that the trilateral talks were tentatively scheduled for November 4 in the United Arab Emirates. The Kremlin had not set an exact date, however, and Ukraine’s presidential office did not confirm the reported date.
Background
The Kremlin said trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia were planned for November in the United Arab Emirates. Zelenskyy wanted them to occur in Abu Dhabi before a possible meeting of Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping. On October 27, Stubb and Støre initiated a call with Putin and raised the need for de-escalation steps concerning Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Trump previously announced an Alaska meeting with Putin on August 15, 2025, without Zelenskyy, acknowledged that no agreement was reached, and a later meeting in Budapest was cancelled.