Zelenskyy proposes face-to-face talks with Putin; Trump expects a deal by August 8.

President Zelenskyy has offered Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a direct, face-to-face meeting to discuss the war. He urged Russia to stop issuing vague statements and agreeing only to technical meetings and instead engage at the leadership level if it truly wants to end the war. The offer followed Putin’s expression of willingness to end the war on terms outlined in June 2024, which effectively mean Ukraine’s surrender.

“Russia is ready to work out ‘compromises’ and supports Kyiv’s proposal to discuss ‘Ukraine’s security’ as part of the war settlement”, Putin said Friday after meeting Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Putin also noted that he views the three rounds of talks with Ukrainian representatives that were held in Istanbul positively; these talks led to an agreement to form working groups on political, humanitarian, and military issues.

However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that the Trump administration held discussions with Russia last week to work toward an end to the war in Ukraine, but no progress was made. Meanwhile, the US president wants to finalize an agreement to end the war by August 8. On August 1, he said the US might hold meetings with Russia before the deadline. Additionally, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff plans to travel to Russia soon, following a trip to Israel.