President Donald Trump has accomplished what critics long claimed was next to impossible — breaking the deadlock between Russia and Ukraine after more than three years of war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the next two weeks, following a direct conversation with Trump. The breakthrough was first reported by Agence France-Presse, which cited German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as the source, Fox News reported.
“The American president spoke with the Russian president and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks,” Merz told reporters after talks at the White House on Monday, according to AFP.
Zelenskyy, for his part, also signaled he is ready to meet with Putin in hopes of ending the conflict that has raged for nearly four years. “I am prepared to sit down with him if it will bring peace,” he reportedly said.
The development marks the most significant diplomatic opening in years for the war that began with Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Previous attempts by European leaders to coax Putin into face-to-face talks with Zelenskyy have failed.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte publicly credited Trump for achieving what others could not. Appearing on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle Monday night, Rutte said Trump’s leadership was essential to bringing Putin to the table.
“Without President Trump, this deadlock with Putin would not have been broken,” Rutte said. “He was the only one who could do this, starting in February.”
Rutte also defended Trump’s long-standing criticism of NATO members for underfunding defense. He pointed out that Trump’s pressure campaign led to a landmark agreement at the recent NATO summit, where all 32 member nations pledged to raise their military spending to 5 percent of GDP — including 3.5 percent on core defense.
“What he was saying is that the U.S. is spending so much more on its defense and therefore spending on the collective defense of NATO territory than the Europeans,” Rutte explained. “And I hope the Americans see this, probably one of his biggest foreign policy successes of his presidency, of Trump 47.”
Trump himself confirmed on Truth Social that he spoke directly with Putin after hosting Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House. He said he began arrangements for the upcoming Russia-Ukraine meeting, though the location is still to be determined.
“After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” Trump wrote. “Again, this was a very good, early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are coordinating with Russia and Ukraine. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Earlier in the day, Trump was overheard in an unguarded moment telling French President Emmanuel Macron that Putin seemed eager to resolve the conflict.
“I think [Putin] wants to make a deal,” Trump whispered to Macron in the East Room as cameras were preparing for Monday’s bilateral talks. “I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.”
President Trump was caught on a hot mic telling French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia wants to “make a deal for me.”
“I think he wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal with me. Do you understand that? As crazy as it sounds,” Trump said. pic.twitter.com/wfWyzmFlYb
— The Hill (@thehill) August 19, 2025
The remarks underscored Trump’s belief that his personal relationship with the Russian leader gives him unique leverage to broker peace. Allies have argued for months that only Trump could achieve this kind of breakthrough, while critics have doubted that Putin would ever sit down with Zelenskyy under pressure from Washington.
The coming weeks will show whether the tentative agreement leads to substantive negotiations. For now, world leaders are watching closely as Trump moves to insert himself directly into ending Europe’s most destructive war since World War II.
The post Trump Secures Breakthrough As Putin Agrees To Zelensky Meeting In Weeks appeared first on Conservative Brief.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Carmine Sabia
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://conservativebrief.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
