Putin and Trump Plan New Talks Following NATO Summit and Ukraine Discussions
Overview of Recent Diplomatic Developments
MOSCOW, July 6 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed in a weekend call that they would talk again "in the near future," suggesting they are likely to talk this week during or after the NATO summit.
Upcoming Meetings and Agendas
Trump is planning to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday in Turkey where he will be attending the NATO summit, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. The idea, the official said, was to make a renewed push to end the war in Ukraine.
Sequence of Diplomatic Talks
The same official said Trump would likely follow up with Putin after talking to Zelenskiy. Asked on Monday if Trump would phone Putin after meeting Zelenskiy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:
"Yes, indeed, both President Putin and President Trump have agreed that their contacts will continue in the near future."
Kremlin's Perspective on U.S. Stance
Peskov said Trump had held a pretty consistent position on the conflict in Ukraine.
"You know, President Trump, the U.S. president, has a fairly consistent stance, and all these fabrications about him supposedly changing his views like a weather vane are, of course, untrue," said Peskov.
"He is consistent and confident in his understanding of what is happening, but, most importantly, he (Trump) is open to listening to the information that is conveyed to him by Putin."
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Lucy PapachristouEditing by Andrew Osborn)
