Photo Courtesy ANADOLU
US president claims progress on Russia-Ukraine conflict, leaves open possibility of further strikes on Iran after midterm elections
US President Donald Trump said early Wednesday that a meeting involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be arranged “very soon,” while also declining to rule out additional US strikes on Iran after next week’s US midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters after returning from campaign rallies in Texas, Trump said he had discussed both conflicts with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff aboard Air Force One.
“I think with Russia we’re making a lot of progress with Russia-Ukraine. There’ll be a meeting set up very soon,” he said.
Asked who would attend, Trump replied, “President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” without providing any further details on the meeting’s timing, location, or format.
Moscow and Kyiv last held US-mediated peace negotiations earlier this year, with three rounds of talks this January and February, in Abu Dhabi and Geneva. A meeting between the two countries’ presidents would be unprecedented since the start of the war in 2022.
Turning to Iran, Trump claimed Tehran wanted to reach an agreement with the US but was delaying negotiations, possibly until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
“I think with Iran, we’re in a very good position. It’s a question of, when do I want to end it?” he said, reiterating his recent views on the conflict.
Asked whether he planned additional strikes against Iran after the elections, Trump declined to give a definitive answer.
“Anything’s possible, but I can’t tell you,” he said.
The war between Washington and Tehran began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, triggering a wider regional conflict that remains unresolved despite a ceasefire and an agreement to finalize a peace deal.
