[Report] According to reports from RIA Novosti on the 19th, Russian President Putin had a phone call with U.S. President Trump lasting about 40 minutes, as stated by Russian President Assistant Ushakov.
Ushakov also said that the call was made in response to a U.S. proposal, and Trump informed Putin about his meeting with leaders of Europe-related countries including Ukraine during the call.
Furthermore, according to a supplement from France Presse, German Chancellor Merkel stated that Putin agreed to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky within two weeks during the call. As of press time, there has been no official response from Russia to this statement.
Trump held a bilateral meeting with Zelensky at the White House on the 18th US Eastern Time, followed by a multilateral meeting with Zelensky and several European leaders. Trump posted on social media that day that he had begun preparing for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, with the location yet to be determined. Trump also stated that after the bilateral meeting, a trilateral leadership meeting between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine would be held.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine involves multiple parties’ gamesmanship.