US President Donald Trump confirmed his readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, without setting the condition that Putin must meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first.
The statement contradicted earlier reports that said the Putin-Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for negotiations, thus sparking new speculation.
It was made a day after Trump warned that Moscow would face additional sanctions if a ceasefire was not reached by this Friday.
Trump said the decision on the deadline was entirely up to Putin and that his party would wait to hear the Russian leader's position.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin is expected to attend a summit with Trump in the near future, but ruled out Zelensky's involvement.
Washington denied that the date and location of the meeting had been finalized, but admitted that it could take place as early as next week.
If it happens, the summit will be the first between US and Russian leaders since 2021.
In the meantime, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine must be directly involved in any peace talks to end the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since February 2022.
