German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced Monday that Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President, Vladimir Putin are expected to hold a bilateral meeting within the next two weeks.
According to Merz, the agreement followed a phone call between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, who confirmed that both leaders had agreed to meet. A trilateral summit involving Trump could follow.
“The American president spoke with the Russian president on the phone and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks,” Merz told reporters at the White House. He added that doubts remain over whether Putin will “have the courage” to attend.
Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, confirmed that senior negotiators would continue discussions but stopped short of saying if Putin himself would participate.
Talks at the White House, which included European leaders, centered on the next phase of negotiations. Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that a ceasefire must precede any peace deal, a demand Putin has rejected, instead pushing for an immediate agreement.
Sharp divisions remain, particularly over Russia’s demand that Ukraine surrender large parts of its territory — a condition Kyiv refuses to accept.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the summit as “good and constructive,” pointing to two outcomes: strengthened U.S.-European cooperation on security guarantees for Ukraine and an agreement in principle for the Zelensky-Putin meeting, to be followed by trilateral talks with Trump.
Macron emphasized that any deal must ensure Ukraine retains “a robust army that can resist any attempted attack,” without restrictions on size or capacity. He warned that further sanctions would follow if Moscow blocked progress. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte echoed the warning, saying the U.S. and Europe would escalate tariffs and sanctions if Russia stalled.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Trump had pledged to help secure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. “Every single Ukrainian child must be returned to their families,” she wrote, thanking Trump for his commitment. Trump later described the issue as a global priority and one “very important” to his wife, Melania.
