Putin and Zelenskyy Comment on Possible Leader-Level Talks Following Trump-Putin Meeting Confirmation

Speaking alongside UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed during his visit to Moscow, Putin named the United Arab Emirates as a possible host for his meeting with Trump, Orda.kz reports, citing The Kyiv Independent.

We have many friends who are ready to help us organize an event of this kind. One of those friends is the president (Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan) of the United Arab Emirates, Putin said alongside the Emirati leader, who is on an official visit to Moscow.

Ushakov had confirmed that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff raised the idea of a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though Moscow has not formally commented on the proposal.

When asked about a potential meeting with Zelenskyy, Putin replied:

Zelenskyy, in turn, confirmed on August 7 that various meeting formats — two bilateral and one trilateral — were discussed the previous day. He called for direct talks as a step toward ending the war:

He also emphasized the need for European involvement in the peace process, calling Ukraine “an integral part of Europe.” Further talks with Kyiv’s partners were scheduled later the same day. 

They reportedly include an online meeting of national security advisors and talks with Italian and French officials. 

Incidentally, Trump reportedly suggested to European allies and Zelenskyy that Putin may be open to peace talks if they include discussion of territorial swaps with Ukraine, according to Bloomberg sources.

The comments were reportedly made during an August phone call made before Trump’s ceasefire deadline, following a meeting between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.