War in Ukraine: Donald Trump ready to meet Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky

Following what his special envoy to Moscow described as "productive," the US president told several European leaders on Wednesday that he wanted to meet his Russian counterpart in person, perhaps as early as next week, and then hold a three-way meeting with the Ukrainian president, the New York Times and CNN reported.

Donald Trump is "open to meeting with both President (Russian Vladimir) Putin and President Zelensky," his spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said Wednesday when asked about the reports. She added that "the Russians have expressed their desire to meet" with the American president, amid recent tensions between Moscow and Washington.

Productive meeting

This renewed diplomatic activity follows a meeting on Wednesday between Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin, two days before the expiration of a US ultimatum to Russia, which called on it to end the conflict in Ukraine. The meeting lasted "nearly three hours," according to the Russian state news agency TASS. It was described as "very useful and constructive" by the Russian president's diplomatic adviser, Yuri Ushakov. The American president assured on his Truth Social network that the meeting had been "very productive."

A senior US official, however, clarified that the United States still plans to implement secondary sanctions on Friday, targeting countries that source supplies from Russia, particularly oil and weapons. Following this meeting between Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff, who have already met several times in recent months, Donald Trump spoke by phone with Volodymyr Zelensky, the latter announced.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte participated in the conversation, a senior Ukrainian source said. None of Vladimir Putin's talks with Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's "peace missions" point man, nor phone calls with the US president himself, have so far prompted the Russian leader to change course.

Customs duties

Relations between Russia and the United States have even seen a sudden spike in tensions since last week with the announcement of the deployment of two American nuclear submarines following an online dispute with former Russian head of state Dmitry Medvedev.

Donald Trump gave Russia until Friday to end the war in Ukraine or face tough new sanctions. He notably threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" on countries that continue to trade with Moscow, such as China and India.

He has already announced that he will increase customs duties on Indian products to 50% , criticizing India for its purchases of Russian oil. The American president, who resumed contact with Vladimir Putin upon his return to the White House in the hope of quickly ending the conflict in Ukraine, is now expressing his frustration with the Kremlin master more and more openly.

The Russian offensive continues

Despite pressure from Washington, the Russian offensive against its neighbor continues. In Ukraine, Russian drone strikes injured three people at dawn Wednesday in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and two in the Kherson region, also in the south, according to regional authorities.

On the other side of the front line, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the interception of 51 Ukrainian drones overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. Vladimir Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a temporary ceasefire, said Friday that he wanted lasting peace but that his demands for an end to the conflict remained unchanged.