US President Donald Trump could meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week as he seeks to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, a White House official said on Wednesday. The official cautioned that a meeting has not been scheduled yet and no location has been determined. The official was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.

News of a potential meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times, came hours after Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. Trump had posted earlier on Truth Social that Witkoff "had a highly productive meeting" with Putin in which "great progress was made". Trump said he updated America's allies in Europe about the meeting and that they will work toward an end to the Russia-Ukraine war "in the days and weeks to come".

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky." Her statement did not address the potential timing of any meeting. Witkoff met with Putin days before the White House's deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil.
The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours, the Kremlin said.