Trump touts ‘tremendous progress’ but says he’ll meet Putin and Zelenskyy ‘ONLY when’ peace deal is final

President Donald Trump has stated that he will not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy until the emerging Russia-Ukraine peace agreement is either complete or in its final stage.

In a lengthy post shared on Truth Social Tuesday, Trump emphasized “tremendous progress” had been made over the past week, calling it the most significant movement toward peace since the Ukraine war began.

FROM ISRAEL TO UKRAINE, TRUMP SPENDS WEEK FOCUSED ON NAVIGATING GLOBAL CONFLICTS

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have both met separately with U.S. President Donald Trump.  (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP; Christian Bruna/Getty)

He wrote: “Over the past week, my team has made tremendous progress with respect to ending the War between Russia and Ukraine (A War that would have NEVER started if I were President!). Last month 25,000 soldiers died. The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement.”

Trump continued by outlining the next steps in the negotiation process:

“In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians. I will be briefed on all progress made, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.”

TRUMP SAYS ‘TREMENDOUS BAD BLOOD’ BETWEEN ZELENSKYY, PUTIN DELAYING PEACE DEAL DESPITE MIDDLE EAST MOMENTUM

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department on June 27, 2025, in Washington.  (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

He concluded his post by explaining when he would be willing to meet with Zelenskyy and Putin:

“I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages,”

“Thank you for your attention to this very important matter, and let’s all hope that PEACE can be accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” he added.

COULD TRUMP’S GAZA CEASEFIRE PLAN OFFER A BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE?

Trump coordinates Putin-Zelenskyy talks after White House meetings Monday, August 18, 2025. (Getty Images)

A revised peace framework, changed from the original 28 points, has reportedly gained preliminary acceptance from both Kyiv and Washington. Moscow is currently reviewing the latest revisions.

As reported by Fox News Digital Tuesday, Ukraine agreed to a peace deal that would see an end to the war with Russia, a U.S. official said,

Some minor details of the agreement are still to be sorted out, the official said.

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However, overnight, Russia launched a large drone-and-missile strike on Kyiv, killing at least seven people and damaging power infrastructure.

Despite the continuing violence, U.S. diplomats describe the negotiations as the “closest they have been” to a potential agreement since the war began.