Trump says Zelenskyy-Putin meeting is 'very soon'

US President Donald Trump told reporters on October 28 that a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin will occur very soon. Trump did not provide a specific date or location for the summit but stated that a lot of progress could be made during the conversation.

These comments followed a 90-minute phone call between Putin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The Nordic leaders also spoke with Zelenskyy by phone. Stubb described the discussion with the Russian leader as frank and substantive in a press statement. He noted that as neighboring countries, Finland and Norway have a direct stake in the war's outcome and that ending the conflict requires direct discussions.

The diplomatic push comes one day after Gahr Store hosted Zelenskyy, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and other European officials in Oslo on October 20. That gathering aimed to secure a role for European nations in the negotiations to end Russia's full-scale invasion. Earlier in the month, Putin proposed a three-way summit involving the US and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to conclude the war by year's end. Trump said on October 19 he was open to such a meeting in China during November, though he suggested nuclear disarmament would be the primary focus.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that talks regarding the potential summit had taken place but said arrangements were not yet finalized. Ukrainian officials have expressed concern about negotiations proceeding without Kyiv at the table, insisting their country must participate in any final agreements.

Separately, Ukraine and Russia confirmed that the US-negotiated local cease-fire around the town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine held for its first 30 hours. The pause in fighting began at 3 a.m. local time on October 27. US First Lady Melania Trump, who brokered the truce, said the start date was moved up by two days to protect civilians and aid delivery. She added that the geographic scope of the cease-fire expanded beyond Oleshky within the Kherson region to allow safe passage for humanitarian convoys.

The local truce is scheduled to remain in effect until November 1. This window is intended to allow residents to evacuate the frontline town, where worsening conditions had previously prevented many from fleeing.