German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold a bilateral meeting within the next two weeks.
Merz said the agreement followed a phone call between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, who confirmed that both leaders had agreed to meet, with the possibility of a subsequent trilateral summit including Trump.
“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, while noting lingering doubts about whether Putin would “have the courage” to attend.
Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, confirmed that senior negotiators would continue discussions but did not clarify if Putin himself would participate.
Talks at the White House, which included European leaders, focused on the next phase of negotiations. Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that a ceasefire must precede any peace deal—a condition Putin has rejected, instead advocating for an immediate agreement.
Significant divisions remain, particularly over Russia’s demand that Ukraine cede large areas of territory, a condition Kyiv refuses to accept.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the summit as “good and constructive,” highlighting 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 stressed that any deal must allow Ukraine to maintain “a robust army that can resist any attempted attack,” without restrictions on size or capacity, warning that further sanctions would follow if Moscow obstructed progress. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte echoed the warning, indicating that 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.
