US President Donald Trump has said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be arranged “very soon”, while declining to rule out additional US strikes on Iran after next week’s midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters early on Wednesday after returning from campaign rallies in Texas, Trump said he had discussed both conflicts with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff aboard Air Force One.
“I think with Russia we’re making a lot of progress with Russia-Ukraine. There’ll be a meeting set up very soon,” he said.
Asked who would attend, Trump named Putin and Zelenskyy but gave no further details on the meeting’s timing, location or format.
Moscow and Kiev last held US-mediated peace negotiations in January and February, with three rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi and Geneva.
‘Anything is possible on Iran’
Turning to Iran, Trump claimed Tehran wanted to reach an agreement with Washington but was delaying negotiations, possibly until after the November 3 midterm elections.
“I think with Iran, we’re in a very good position. It’s a question of, when do I want to end it?” he said, reiterating his recent remarks on the conflict.
Asked whether he planned further strikes on Iran after the elections, Trump declined to give a definitive answer.
“Anything’s possible, but I can’t tell you,” he said.
The war between Washington and Tehran began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, triggering a wider regional conflict that remains unresolved despite a ceasefire and an agreement to finalise a peace deal.
