Overview

• Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov announced that Presidents Trump and Putin will hold a bilateral meeting next week, though exact date and venue remain under wraps.
• The summit agreement follows a nearly three-hour discussion in Moscow on August 6 between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
• The White House has proposed a subsequent three-way summit including Ukrainian President Zelenski, but Russia has declined to comment on his participation.
• U.S. officials have maintained that they will levy secondary sanctions on Russia’s trading partners if no truce is declared by the end of Trump’s ten-day ultimatum.
• President Zelenski and European allies were briefed on the summit plans, reinforcing unified Western demands for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.