OSAKA, JAPAN – JUNE 28: (——EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT – “KREMLIN PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS——) US President Donald Trump (R) meets Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) on the first day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019. (Photo by Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov announced on Thursday that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet “in the coming days.” The statement was made a day after a White House official told the Associated Press that Trump may be meeting with Putin in person as soon as next week. It would be the first time the Russian president has met with a U.S. president since June 2021.
Few Western leaders have met with Putin following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Only Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico have met with Putin in 2023 and 2024.
It is unclear where the in-person meeting between Trump and Putin will take place. During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president, citing war crimes. The warrant means that Putin is unable to travel to countries that have ratified the Rome Statute. This treaty allows the ICC to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
There are 125 countries that uphold the Rome Statute. An additional 29 countries have signed the treaty, but have not ratified it. This limits Putin’s ability to travel internationally.
Trump’s Attempts for Peace in Ukraine
Trump has previously remarked that one of his top priorities while in office is to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the campaign trail for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Trump remarked that he would end Russia’s war “in a day.” Then, when he took office in January, Trump worked with his cabinet officials to secure a meeting with Russian representatives to discuss the war in Ukraine. This negotiation process first began in Saudi Arabia in February.
These meetings, however, have produced few results. For six months, U.S. officials have met with their Russians counterparts to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine. The United States has also issued several deadlines to achieve peace. Despite attempts, the Russian Federation has continued to launch drone and missile strikes across Ukraine.
Noting Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine, Trump has issued a new ultimatum. He has given Putin until August 8 to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Should Russia fail to find a solution, Trump has said that the U.S. will consider “sanctions and maybe tariffs.” This would include penalties on countries that buy Russian oil and gas.
As an additional way to pressure the Russian Federation to end its war, Trump also announced that the United States will continue sending defense aid to Ukraine. This assistance has allowed the Ukrainians to defend themselves from Russia’s ongoing invasion. The U.S. has additionally sold weapons to Europe’s NATO members. The defense equipment from these sales has helped the European continent bolster its national security. Some of the weapons from these exchanges have also been transported to Ukraine, where they will be used by Ukraine’s defense forces.
It remains to be seen if Russia will meet the August 8 deadline. Ukrainian and European officials will anxiously wait to see if Trump implements new sanctions on the Russian Federation. They will also closely monitor the meeting between Trump and Putin to see if any progress can be made to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.