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Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet "in the coming days" in a bid to advance talks on ending the war in Ukraine. The announcement followed U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff's latest visit to Moscow, where he met Putin for three hours in what both sides described as "productive" discussions. While no agreement was reached, Trump reiterated his Friday deadline for Russia to accept a ceasefire or face expanded U.S. sanctions, including "secondary sanctions" on countries purchasing Russian oil.

Ahead of the meeting, Putin held a series of calls with international leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Chinese state media, Xi "welcomed" continued U.S.-Russia contact and reaffirmed Beijing's position in favor of political negotiations. Putin, in turn, expressed appreciation for China's "constructive role" and stressed that Russia-China strategic ties would "not change under any circumstances." The call also came as Trump signaled possible tariffs on Chinese imports in response to its energy trade with Russia, a move Beijing defended as "legitimate" under its national interests.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly supported leader-level talks, noting discussions of both bilateral and trilateral formats, with Europe involved. He urged Russia to take a "brave approach" to negotiations, warning that continued military pressure and economic resilience would be decisive factors. On the ground, however, heavy Russian strikes have continued, and European leaders, while supportive of dialogue, are preparing for the possibility of a protracted or "frozen" conflict rather than a swift resolution.

The Trump-Putin summit will mark their first face-to-face meeting since Trump's return to the White House earlier this year and could shape the trajectory of the war into its fourth year.

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