The countdown to a potential ceasefire in Ukraine is nearing its end, and the diplomatic stage is set for a high-stakes meeting. In a stunning announcement, a Kremlin aide confirmed that US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to a face-to-face meeting in the “coming days.”
This breakthrough arrives just as Trump’s deadline for a ceasefire which could lead to sweeping new sanctions against Russia is set to expire on Friday.
This is not the first time Trump has attempted to broker peace. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, has traveled to Moscow four times already, but those efforts ultimately failed. This time, however, the momentum feels different.
ALSO READ: President Tinubu, others extend condolences to Ghana over fatal helicopter crash
The US is applying intense pressure, recently imposing a 25% tariff on imports from India over its purchase of Russian oil and approving another $200 million in military aid for Ukraine.
While Trump initially floated the idea of a three-way summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kremlin has been hesitant. A Putin aide noted the idea was “left without comment.”
Still, Zelensky has expressed his support for a meeting of leaders, saying, “finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders.”
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Russia has continued its relentless air attacks on Ukraine, and Moscow’s demands for peace which include Ukraine becoming a neutral state, demilitarizing, and ceding occupied territories remain unacceptable to Kyiv.
Trump, who once promised a swift end to the war, is now taking a more cautious tone. “I don’t call it a breakthrough,” he said. “We have been working at this for a long time. There are thousands of young people dying I’m here to get the thing over with.”
The world is holding its breath as this new diplomatic effort unfolds. With a deadline looming and a potential meeting between two of the world’s most powerful leaders on the horizon, the fragile hope for peace in Ukraine has been reignited.