OAN Staff Abril Elfi
2:30 PM – Tuesday, August 19, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Tuesday, Leavitt said during a press briefing that Zelensky and Putin have arranged to meet in the next step of peace talks before a trilateral meeting that will include President Donald Trump.
“I understand that the White House is working and allies are working to make this meeting happen, but did Putin promise to do a meeting with Zelensky, a direct meeting, in the coming weeks?” a reporter asked Leavitt.
Advertisement“He has,” she responded.
“Following the encouraging conversations yesterday, President Trump spoke with President Putin by phone and agreed to begin the next phase of the peace process, a meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky, which would be followed if necessary by a trilateral meeting between President Putin, President Zelensky, and President Trump,” she also said.
Trump stated on Monday that he called Putin, “and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky.”
During an interview on “Fox & Friends,” Trump also said he was “trying to work out a meeting.”
“I called President Putin, and we’re trying to work out a meeting with President Zelensky. We’ll see what happens there. And then, if that works out, if it works out, then I’ll go to the trilateral and close it up,” Trump said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov refrained from committing to a meeting and said any possible summits between the two leaders must be “prepared with the utmost care.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!Sponsored Content Below