Trump says there’s a “good chance” he’ll meet with Putin and Zelenskyy as Russia sanction deadline looms

President Trump said Wednesday there’s a “good chance” he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon — as Mr. Trump presses Russia to end its three-year invasion of Ukraine.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Russia suggested a meeting between the U.S. president and Putin, and Mr. Trump is “open” to the idea of a meeting with both Russia and Ukraine’s leaders.

Asked hours later whether Putin and Zelenskyy had agreed to a summit, Mr. Trump told reporters, “there’s a very good prospect that they will.” He said it’s not clear where the meeting would take place. Russia and Ukraine have not commented publicly on the possibility of a meeting.

Mr. Trump’s comments came just days before his Friday deadline for Russia to either strike a ceasefire deal with Ukraine or face sanctions. Putin met with Mr. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow earlier Wednesday. The U.S. president called the hourslong meeting “highly productive” and wrote that “great progress was made” in a Truth Social post — a change of tone after Mr. Trump expressed frustration with Russia for much of last month. 

Mr. Trump also held a call Wednesday with European leaders and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

A senior Trump administration official told CBS News earlier Wednesday the meeting between Witkoff and Putin “went well.”

“The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States,” the official said. 

Asked about the Witkoff-Putin meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We’ll have some other discussions throughout the day, and then hopefully there’ll be some announcements here fairly soon. Maybe positive, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Mr. Trump has pressed both Russia and Ukraine to reach a ceasefire, but he has oscillated between blaming Putin and Zelenskyy for a lack of progress. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has grown irritated with Putin over Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Last week, Mr. Trump demanded that Putin strike a ceasefire deal with Ukraine within 10 days, or Russia could face repercussions, including sanctions on Russia and countries that do business with it. That deadline runs out on Friday.

“The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday,” the senior Trump administration official told CBS News following the Putin-Witkoff meeting.

Mr. Trump has already begun targeting some Russian trading partners, slapping an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods Wednesday because the South Asian country continues to buy oil from Russia. That brings the total tax on Indian imports to 50%.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev — the deputy chair of Russia’s security council — responded to Mr. Trump’s sanction threats last week by warning: “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.”

Mr. Trump called Medvedev’s statement “highly provocative” and said he was ordering two submarines to be “positioned in the appropriate regions” in response.

At other points, Mr. Trump has lashed out at Zelenskyy and accused him of prolonging Russia’s invasion, which began in February 2022. He publicly argued with the Ukrainian leader in an Oval Office meeting, and in at least two cases, his administration has temporarily paused crucial U.S. military aid to Ukraine before restoring the shipments.