'Sure, I'll Meet Him': Putin Tells Trump He Is Ready For Zelenskyy Talks, Proposes Moscow As Venue

Last Updated:August 19, 2025, 20:22 IST

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Putin's willingness to meet Zelenskyy is significant, as dialogue was absent for three and a half years during a stalemated war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a working session during a summit on the conflict in Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marks a “big deal," stressing that even without an immediate peace deal, direct talks are a significant shift after more than three years of a stalemated war.

“But just the fact that Putin is saying, sure, I’ll meet with Zelenskyy – that’s a big deal. I mean, I’m not saying they’re going to leave that room best friends. I’m not saying they’re going to leave that room with a peace deal. But I think the fact that people are now talking to each other, this wasn’t happening for three and a half years. This was a stalemated war of death and destruction," Rubio said in an interview with Jesse Watters on Jesse Watters Primetime on Fox News.

When asked by Watters if he was in the room when President Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin, Rubio replied:

“I was, I was. And in that conversation, what came from it is that the President suggested that Zelenskyy and Putin meet, so we’re working on that now to try to set that up for them to meet somewhere, which, again, would be unprecedented. And then if that goes well, hopefully the next meeting will be a meeting between Presidents Putin, Trump, and Zelenskyy, where we hope to finalize a deal. We’re not there yet, but that’s what we’re aiming towards and that’s one of the things that was discussed today, is how to get to that point."

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said US President Donald Trump and his team have “taken a much deeper approach" to resolving the Ukraine crisis, shortly after the Alaska summit.

Lavrov also accused NATO of repeatedly breaking its commitments not to expand eastward. “There have been five waves of NATO expansion since these promises were made," he said, adding that the alliance’s actions undermined trust and escalated tensions in the region.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailed US President Donald Trump’s commitment to security guarantees for Ukraine as a “breakthrough," saying it marked progress toward both a just peace in Ukraine and greater security in Europe. He said these outcomes also strengthened the push for a possible meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.

Starmer later shared a video on X, writing, “Good talks with leaders in D.C. yesterday. We achieved two important outcomes that move us closer to a just peace in Ukraine and greater security in Europe."

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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

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