"Soon is an elastic concept": the Kremlin responds to Trump on a Putin–Zelensky meeting
Trump promised a meeting with Putin and Zelensky soon. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said lengthy work must come first and that "soon" is an elastic concept.
US President Donald Trump promised on the morning of 28 October that a meeting with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky would happen soon. By the evening the Kremlin had signalled that it was too early to talk about dates: such a meeting must be preceded by lengthy preparatory work.
Trump spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington after returning from Texas. "I think we are making tremendous progress with Russia, with Russia and Ukraine. A meeting will be organised soon," he said, according to Russian-language reports of his remarks. Asked who would take part, he answered: "With President Putin and with President Zelensky." He gave no date, venue or format.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not dispute Trump's words. A three-way meeting is possible, he said, if the negotiating process reaches its final stage. "But, as we have said many times, this must be preceded by long, meticulous work," Peskov said. Asked how literally to take the word "soon", he replied: "The concept of 'soon' is an elastic one."
The remarks came after several steps in recent days. On 27 October Putin held a phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. In Ukraine's Kherson region a ceasefire is in place around Aleshki, linked to a humanitarian operation. Peskov said expanding that zone had been discussed from the start and that the mechanism could serve as a model for other sections of the front. At the same time, he said, resuming three-way talks does not mean limiting combat operations.
For the negotiations, the two sides' statements suggest that Washington is betting on speed and public announcements, while Moscow wants the terms worked out before a summit. The timing of a three-way meeting will depend on when an agreed text is ready. We will follow developments.
Sources
Most sources are in Russian.
- Lenta.ru: Kremlin responds to Trump's remarks on a three-way meeting (in Russian)
- EADaily: Trump says a meeting with Putin and Zelensky will be organised soon (in Russian)
- Izvestia: Trump hopes for a meeting with Putin and Zelensky (in Russian)
- Lenta.ru: Peskov on extending the ceasefire zone beyond Aleshki (in Russian)
Kurs Media editorial team. Corrections and statements from the parties: press@kursmedia.com. Read in Russian.
