US President Donald Trump may meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as early as next week. The New York Times reported that Trump intends to meet with Putin first, followed by a trilateral meeting with the Russian president and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The possible summit was discussed during a telephone conversation between Trump and Zelensky. According to a high-ranking source in Kiev, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, and Finland participated in the conversation.

"The Russians have expressed a desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

"President Trump wants this brutal war to end," Leavitt added.

The New York Times and CNN, citing people familiar with the plan, said Trump plans to meet with Putin as early as next week and then wants to hold a trilateral meeting with the Russian leader and Zelensky.

The phone call took place after US envoy Steve Whitcoff met with Putin in Moscow earlier in the day for talks described by the Kremlin as "productive" — with Trump's deadline for imposing new sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine looming.

"Great progress has been made!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he had subsequently informed some European allies.

"Everyone agrees that this war must end, and we will work toward that in the coming days and weeks," the Republican said.

Minutes later, however, a senior US official said that "secondary sanctions" were still expected to be imposed in two days.

Trump, who boasted that he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, gave Russia until August 8 to make progress toward peace or face new sanctions.

Three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul failed to make any progress on a ceasefire, with the two sides far apart in their demands.

Russia has ramped up its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine to record levels and sped up its progress on the ground.

"A very useful and constructive conversation took place," Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the three-hour meeting with Whitcoff. 

The two exchanged "signals" about their positions, Ushakov said, without giving further details.

Zelensky confirmed his conversation with Trump and confirmed that European leaders had participated, although he did not name them. | BGNES