Trump-Putin talks likely ‘in coming days’ but Kremlin aide plays down three-way summit with Zelenskyy – Europe live | World news
Published: 2025-08-07 11:47:42 | Views: 8
Agreement on Putin-Trump talks 'essentially reached,' Kremlin aide says, but plays down three-way summit with Zelenskyy
Senior Kremlin aide and former Russian ambassador to the US Yuri Ushakov has just said that the two sides “essentially reached” an agreement to hold a meeting between Putin and Trump “in the coming days.”
“We are now beginning concrete preparations together with our American colleagues,” he added in televised comments.
But as my colleague Shaun Walker notes, there is a pretty major difference there compared to Trump’s original intentions of a three-way summit that would also include Zelenskyy.
In his comments, Ushakov has thrown cold wateron the US suggestion that a three-way meeting with Zelenskyy would follow shortly after.
“As for a three-way meeting, which for some reason Washington was talking about yesterday, this was just something mentioned by the American side during the meeting in the Kremlin. But this was not discussed. The Russian side left this option completely without comment,” said Yuri Ushakov, a key aide to Vladimir Putin.
Key events
Zelenskyy spoke to Germany's Merz about US mediation efforts after contact with Putin
German chancellor Friedrich Merz is the latest European leader to speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The German government spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, said in a statement the pair spoke by telephone to discuss yesterday’s meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The statement said:
“Both acknowledged the American president’s mediation efforts and agreed that Russia must end its war of aggression, which violates international law.
Both agreed to maintain close contact with European partners and the United States.
The Chancellor assured the Ukrainian president of his continued support.”
Putin-Trump meeting likely to take place next week - Russian media
Russian news agency Ria Novosti has just reported that the meeting between Putin and Trump is “likely to take place next week.”
Separately, asked for updates on Gaza, the European Commission has confirmed that “Israeli authorities continue not to authorise or allow EU access to Gaza” as the bloc “is not considered a humanitarian actor,” and it has to rely on UN reports.
“What we can say is that despite this partial progress, we are not where we would want to be in terms of the amount of trucks being able to make their way to the destination,” a spokesperson said.
But the spokespeople steered away from stronger language used by the commission’s second most senior official, Teresa Ribera, who said in an interview with Politico that the situation in Gaza “looks very much” like genocide.
EU confirms von der Leyen not part of Trump-Zelenskyy call
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was not among European leaders involved in yesterday’s call between US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, her spokesperson confirmed.
Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà said:
“The president was not in the call yesterday.She has been extensively debriefed, was in touch with the leaders like always. She’s in constant contact with them, especially on such an important matter.
Of course, you know our position on peace talks very well. We support a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, and our commitment on that has not changed in any way.
For what concerns these possible trilateral peace talks, I understand that the timing, the format, the logistics, are still to be seen, so it’s very much premature to say exactly what is going to happen if and when there is further information.”
Challenged twice, she declined to name which leaders von der Leyen spoke with.
Foreign affairs spokesperson Anitta Hipper added that “no one wants peace more than Ukraine and the EU,” while noting that at the moment “it is very clear that Russia is not interested in any peace as such, because we have seen it in their actions, not in their words.”
She added the EU welcomes “any pressure when it comes to ensuring that Russia is at the negotiation table.”
Ukraine says it struck Russian oil refinery with drones
Meanwhile, in the last few minutes, the Ukrainian military said its drone units had hit the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, sparking flames in gas processing equipment.
Russian emergency services reported a fire at the plant caused by falling drone debris.
Speculations mount about possible venue of Putin-Trump summit
There is a lot of speculation about a possible venue for the Putin-Trump meeting, which the Kremlin’s aide Ushakov said had been already agreed, but would only be announced later.
Reuters noted that Putin was due on Thursday to meet the president of the United Arab Emirates, which sources have previously suggested as a possible venue.
Meanwhile, we have an update on the Ukrainian gas interconnector hit by Russian drones yesterday (yesterday’s Europe Live), with its operator saying it remains operational despite the attack.
The gas pumping station in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region is used to import LNG from the US and Azerbaijan, with the attack thought to seek to undermine preparations for winter.
“Deliveries are made in the same manner as before,” an official from the operator told Reuters today.
Kremlin tries to bank summit with Trump but ignore Zelenskyy in classic Putin/Trump dynamic - snap analysis
Shaun Walker
in Kyiv
In recent months, Putin has made it clear he does not want to be in the same room as Volodymyr Zelenskyybut would be keen on a set-piece summit with Trump.
US president Donald Trump is open to meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House said. Photograph: Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images
The reports out of Washington yesterday suggested Steve Witkoff had come to a compromise with Putin: first a two-way meeting with Trump, then a three-way adding Zelenskyy.
This morning, the Kremlin is making it clear it is working to a different agreement, banking the big summit with Trump and ignoring the part about Zelenskyy.
It all looks like the classic Putin/Trump dynamic we have got used to in recent months: Trump promises something that sounds like a breakthrough, then the Kremlin throws cold water on it.
Agreement on Putin-Trump talks 'essentially reached,' Kremlin aide says, but plays down three-way summit with Zelenskyy
Senior Kremlin aide and former Russian ambassador to the US Yuri Ushakov has just said that the two sides “essentially reached” an agreement to hold a meeting between Putin and Trump “in the coming days.”
“We are now beginning concrete preparations together with our American colleagues,” he added in televised comments.
But as my colleague Shaun Walker notes, there is a pretty major difference there compared to Trump’s original intentions of a three-way summit that would also include Zelenskyy.
In his comments, Ushakov has thrown cold wateron the US suggestion that a three-way meeting with Zelenskyy would follow shortly after.
“As for a three-way meeting, which for some reason Washington was talking about yesterday, this was just something mentioned by the American side during the meeting in the Kremlin. But this was not discussed. The Russian side left this option completely without comment,” said Yuri Ushakov, a key aide to Vladimir Putin.
A Trump-Putin meeting would be the first US-Russia leadership summit since former president Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva in 2021, AFP noted.
But there is no indication as to where the meeting could take place this time round.
Trump told reporters that there was a “good chance” that it could happen “very soon,” with US media reporting it could be as early as next week, with Trump hoping it could later lead to a three-way meeting with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, too.
Morning opening: Planning the next steps
Jakub Krupa
With White House officials saying that US president Donald Trump could meet Russian president Vladimir Putin as soon as next week to discuss the war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hitting the phones today to consult with European partners on the how to best plan the next steps.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photograph: APAImages/Shutterstock
We don’t know the details of what Zelenskyy learned from Trump during their phone call last night, joined by some European leaders, but it is clear that there is a momentum to push Russia further, and Kyiv will want to make the most of it.
In a morning update, Zelenskyy said he had already spoken with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte and Finnish president Alexander Stubb, and that he would have further calls with German chancellor Friedrich Merz and the leaders of France and Italy. Separately, there will be some technical talks at the level of national security advisers.
Zelenskyy explained his thinking:
“The priorities are absolutely clear.
First – an end to the killing, and it is Russia that must agree to a ceasefire.
Second – a format for leaders, so that such a meeting can lead to a truly lasting peace. We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders. It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed.
Third – long-term security. This is possible together with the United States and Europe.”
He then added:
“Ukraine has never wanted war and will work toward peace as productively as possible. The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression.
The world has leverage over the aggressor and the means to verify whether promises are being kept. I’m grateful to everyone who is firmly committed to bringing this war to a dignified end.”
Elsewhere, we will be looking at the latest on EU-US trade from Brussels, as the “joint statement” fleshing out the details of the agreement is now long overdue.
I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Thursday, 7 August 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
