Trump says Putin-Zelensky meeting to be set up 'very soon'

The announcement came as Trump's administration ramps up diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth year.

"There'll be a meeting set up very soon and I think a lot of progress could be made," Trump told reporters.

Zelensky said on Sunday that a trilateral meeting between Kyiv, Washington and Moscow would take place in November, aiming to restart stalled peace talks.

The Kremlin had previously said that a meeting between the three countries was planned to take place in the United Arab Emirates in November.

Putin, who ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has consistently rejected face-to-face talks with Zelensky and insisted Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine.

Trump came to power in January 2025 promising to end the war in 24 hours -- but over a year of US-led talks have failed to produce a breakthrough, with tens of thousands killed.

In recent days, Trump has once again pivoted away from Ukraine and back to Putin, trumpeting what he said was a deal for Russia to sell diesel and reduce prices sent soaring by his Iran war.