Trump says he will 'probably' meet Putin next week but it would have one huge condition
Donald Trump could meet in person with Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, but it would be under one big condition.
A White House official said Russia has 'expressed their desire' to meet with the US President for the first time since he returned to office.
The spokesperson said Trump, 79, is hoping to broker a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war since the invasion in February 2022.
News of a potential meeting comes after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow.
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Taking to Truth Social, the Republican leader said that Witkoff 'had a highly productive meeting' with Mr Putin in which 'great progress was made'.
However, Trump and Putin's meeting is yet to be formally scheduled and a location hasn't been agreed.
But what will ultimately determine a meet up is if Putin is happy with Trump's alleged condition.
NBC News reported that the sit down will be conditional on the Russian President meeting his rival, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“The end of that road was long and continues to be long, but there’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.
He noted that a direct meeting with Putin would be a 'breakthrough', because 'we’ve been working on this a long time'.
Now, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that 'great progress was made during Special Envoy Witkoff’s meeting with President Putin.'
"The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy," Leavitt said in a statement. "President Trump wants this brutal war to end."
Witkoff met Putin days just before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.
If not, they would potentially face severe economic penalties that could hit countries buying their oil.
The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours, according to the Kremlin.
Trump claims he is working to end the war 'in the days and weeks to come', as Zelenskyy said he spoke on the phone with the President after the meeting.
The Ukrainian leader said: "Our common position with our partners is absolutely clear: The war must end. We all need lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it started."
He added: "It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire."
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, Vladimir Putin, Russia
Anish Vij