• President Trump believes a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky remains achievable despite ongoing tensions.
  • The assessment follows Trump's recent call with Putin and subsequent White House meeting with Zelensky, where military support options were discussed.
  • Ukraine's push for enhanced military capabilities, including potential Tomahawk missile acquisitions, adds complexity to diplomatic efforts.

President Donald Trump continues to view a direct summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a viable possibility, according to White House officials. The assessment comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity this week, including Trump's recent phone conversation with Putin and a separate White House meeting with Zelensky to discuss Ukraine's military strategy.

"The president believes bringing these leaders together remains possible and could be instrumental in de-escalating the situation," a White House spokeswoman told reporters on Thursday. She declined to provide a specific timeline for such a meeting but emphasized that "channels of communication remain open."

The diplomatic push comes as Ukraine seeks to bolster its military capabilities against Russian forces. During Zelensky's White House visit, discussions focused on potential U.S. support for Ukraine acquiring advanced long-range missile systems, including Tomahawk cruise missiles. Such weapons would significantly enhance Ukraine's strike capabilities, though administration officials remain divided on the provision of these systems, according to people familiar with the internal deliberations.

Efforts to arrange a Putin-Zelensky meeting have faced numerous obstacles, including Russia's continued military strikes on Ukrainian territory and disagreements over the terms of any potential negotiations. The relationship between Trump and Zelensky has also been strained at times, particularly following their contentious meeting in February 2025 where Trump suggested Ukraine bore some responsibility for the ongoing conflict.

Ukrainian officials have expressed cautious optimism about the prospect of direct talks but maintain that any meeting must include concrete security guarantees and respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity. "We're not opposed to dialogue, but it cannot be dialogue for dialogue's sake," a senior Ukrainian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.

The White House has not specified what confidence-building measures might precede such a summit, though administration officials acknowledge that bridging the gap between Russian and Ukrainian positions remains challenging. European allies have been briefed on the diplomatic efforts but have expressed skepticism about near-term breakthroughs.

As of Thursday evening, the Kremlin had not publicly commented on the latest White House statements regarding a potential summit. Previous attempts to arrange direct talks between the two leaders have foundered over disagreements about agenda items and participation of other parties.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the month of the Trump-Zelensky meeting. It occurred in February 2025, not March.