Shafaq News – Washington

On Thursday, the US President Donald Trump announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet with him, affirming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a prerequisite.

During remarks in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that last month, 14,000 people were killed. Every week, 4,000 to 5,000 people, estimating monthly fatalities at 20,000.

Earlier, a senior Kremlin official confirmed that preparations are underway for talks. If held, it would mark the first in-person encounter between a sitting US president and Putin since 2021.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a three-hour session in Moscow with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the Ukraine war and broader US-Russia strategic cooperation.

Washington has intensified pressure on Moscow “to end the war in Ukraine,” setting a ceasefire deadline and preparing additional sanctions targeting Russia and its trading partners. These measures form part of a broader strategy aimed at pushing Moscow toward a negotiated settlement.