Donald Trump has indicated there is a "good chance" he may meet with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, referencing what he called "very good conversations" between his representative and Vladimir Putin earlier that day.
When questioned at the White House if the two leaders had reached an agreement for such a summit, the US president stated there was a "very good prospect," but he did not elaborate further.
The Kremlin had previously released a vague announcement regarding the discussions between Putin and Steve Witkoff, with a foreign policy adviser mentioning that both sides had communicated "signals" as part of "constructive" discussions in Moscow.
This meeting occurred just days before Trump's deadline for Russia to consent to a ceasefire in Ukraine, or face new sanctions.
Trump's remarks in the Oval Office on Wednesday followed a post on his Truth Social platform, where he mentioned he had updated some of America's European allies after the discussions.
"Everyone concurs that this war needs to come to an end, and we will strive towards that in the upcoming days and weeks," Trump stated.
The White House also informed the BBC that Russia expressed interest in meeting with the US president and that he was "open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the other hand, noted he had conversed with Trump regarding Witkoff's visit, which also included European leaders on the call.
Zelensky has been cautioning that Russia would only take significant steps toward peace if it began to exhaust its financial resources.
Trump has warned that Russia could face substantial sanctions or secondary penalties imposed on anyone engaging in trade with it if it does not take action to conclude the war.
Wednesday's talks between Putin and Witkoff seemed amicable despite Trump's growing frustration over the stagnation in negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Visuals shared by Russian media depicted Putin and Witkoff—who have previously met several times—smiling and shaking hands in an ornate room at the Kremlin.
Shortly after Witkoff left Moscow, the White House announced that Trump had signed an executive order implementing an extra 25% tariff on India for purchasing Russian oil. This tariff is set to take effect on August 27.
The US president accused India of being indifferent to "how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine."
Anticipations for a resolution by Friday are low, and Russia has persisted with its large-scale aerial assaults on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.
Prior to assuming office in January, Trump claimed he could resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine within a day. The fighting has continued since then, with his stance toward Moscow becoming more stringent.
"We believed we had [the war] resolved multiple times, and then President Putin goes out and begins launching rockets into a city like Kyiv, resulting in numerous casualties in places like nursing homes," he remarked last month.
Three rounds of negotiations in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia have failed to bring the war closer to resolution, three-and-a-half years after Moscow initiated its full-scale invasion.
Moscow's military and political prerequisites for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and its Western allies. The Kremlin has also consistently rejected Kyiv's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
In the meantime, the US administration greenlit an additional $200 million (£150 million) in military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a conversation between Zelensky and Trump, during which they also talked about defense cooperation and drone production.
Ukraine has been deploying drones to target Russia's oil refineries and energy infrastructure, whereas Moscow has concentrated its airstrikes on urban areas in Ukraine.
According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, the death toll from a recent attack on the capital has increased to 32 following the death of an injured man. This strike was among the deadliest to impact Kyiv since the invasion began.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian assault on a holiday camp in the central Zaporizhzhia region resulted in two fatalities and 12 injuries.
Zelensky stated, "There’s no military rationale behind this attack. It’s merely an act of cruelty intended to instill fear in people."
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