White House pressing toward Putin-Zelensky bilateral despite Kremlin’s silence
The White House has confirmed that arrangements are underway for a potential bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite no official statement from the Kremlin.Both leaders have shown willingness to meet, and the U.S. national security team is facilitating the process.White House press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed questions about the talks and emphasized that the U.S. government, including the Trump management, is actively working with both countries to make the meeting possible.
Additionally, former President Trump stated that he would not send U.S. troops to Ukraine, although he is considering air support options to help enforce European security guarantees related to peace efforts. Leavitt clarified that while military options are on the table, ground troop deployment has been definitively ruled out. The discussions follow recent meetings involving Trump, Zelensky, Putin, and European leaders focused on a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
White House pressing toward Putin-Zelensky bilateral despite Kremlin’s silence
The White House confirmed that talks for a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are “underway” even as the Kremlin stays mum on its diplomatic plans.
“Both leaders have expressed a willingness to sit down with each other, and so our national security team will help both countries do that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at Tuesday’s White House briefing.
In a Truth Social post, Trump announced Monday evening that the White House would begin setting up a time and place for Zelensky and Putin to meet, but the Kremlin has been noncommittal on the idea of a bilateral meeting. The announcement came after Trump sat down with Zelensky and European leaders to discuss the terms of a peace settlement. A few days earlier, Trump met separately with Putin in Alaska.
Leavitt faced a number of questions on the subject during her Tuesday briefing.
“I can assure you that the United States government and the Trump administration is working with both Russia and Ukraine to make that bilateral happen as we speak,” she told one reporter, failing to halt further inquiries.
“He has,” Leavitt responded when asked if Putin specifically “promised” to meet with Zelensky directly. “I just answered that question.”
Leavitt also fielded questions about the possibility of sending U.S. troops to enforce European security guarantees meant to uphold a peace between Ukraine and Russia. Trump said during a Tuesday morning interview with Fox & Friends that he would not send U.S. soldiers to Ukraine but was considering providing air support to the mission.
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“Look, that was something the president mentioned in his interview this morning,” the press secretary answered when asked about possible troop deployments. “It is an option and a possibility. I won’t certainly rule out anything as far as military options that the president has at his disposal. I’ll let him do that. I can tell you he’s definitively ruled out boots on the ground.”
Leavitt’s comments can be seen in full below.
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