U.S. President Trump said on the 6th that it is 'very likely' that he will soon hold a meeting with Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
When asked by the media at the White House whether Zelensky agreed to a trilateral meeting, he said that the road to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict is 'still long,' 'but a meeting is very likely to happen soon.'
According to reports from The New York Times and CNN citing White House officials as sources, Trump said during a call with European leaders that day that he intends to meet with Putin as soon as next week, and then hold a trilateral meeting with both leaders and Zelensky.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that whether the meeting can go ahead as scheduled depends on the developments surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and whether the positions of the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine are 'close enough.'
In addition, earlier in the day on social media, Trump stated that U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Issues, Whitcoff, had a 'fruitful' meeting with Putin that day.
However, he later said in a media interview that it was hard to say Whitcoff's trip was a 'breakthrough.'
Recently, Trump warned that Russia must end the Russia-Ukraine conflict by August 8, or face further U.S. sanctions. On the 6th, he noted that he may soon announce a batch of 'secondary sanctions' to force Russia to stop its conflict with Ukraine.