U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 28 that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, would be set up “very soon.”
The announcement came as Trump’s administration ramps up diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth year.
“There’ll be a meeting set up very soon and I think a lot of progress could be made,” Trump told reporters.
Zelensky said on Oct. 25 that a trilateral meeting between Kiev, Washington and Moscow would take place in November, aiming to restart stalled peace talks.
The Kremlin had previously said that a meeting between the three countries was planned to take place in the United Arab Emirates in November.
Putin, who ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has consistently rejected face-to-face talks with Zelensky and insisted Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine.
Trump came to power in January 2025 promising to end the war in 24 hours — but over a year of U.S.-led talks have failed to produce a breakthrough, with tens of thousands killed.
In recent days Trump has once again pivoted away from Ukraine and back to Putin, trumpeting what he said was a deal for Russia to sell diesel and reduce prices sent soaring by his Iran war.
Meanwhile, a local truce aimed at allowing humanitarian aid into the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky appeared to be holding on Oct. 27, with neither side reporting any violations after several hours.
Both sides said they began observing the truce at 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT).
The war-ravaged city in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region had been caught in the middle of fighting between the two sides since 2022, when it was seized by Russian forces at the start of their invasion.
Former residents told AFP last month that those remaining in the city were starving, lacked medicine and could not easily leave.
“The possibility of evacuation from Oleshky is very good news for me and for the people who are trapped there,” Olga, a former resident, told AFP on Oct. 27.
“My acquaintances are ready to leave,” she said.
Announcing the truce last week, U.S. first lady Melania Trump said civilian officials from both Russia and Ukraine would visit residents in their homes and “determine the level of assistance they require.”
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” she said.
AFP was not able to immediately verify details about the humanitarian mission or whether there had been a decrease in fighting.
The Russian military does not routinely grant international media, including AFP, access to areas under Russian occupation.
Right-leaning U.S. cable network Newsmax said it had been granted “exclusive television access” to accompany observers entering the city.
