The Kremlin announced that the summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will take place in the coming days, with both sides having already agreed on the location.

The summit will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva in June 2021 and comes at a time when Trump is trying to mediate an end to Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Three rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to produce any progress toward a ceasefire, with the two sides appearing far from agreement on their demands for ending the conflict, which has been ongoing for more than three years.

Trump said on August 6 that he would likely meet with Putin face to face "very soon," AFP reported.

"At the suggestion of the American side, a basic agreement has been reached to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days," Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.

"We are now starting to work out the details together with our American colleagues," Ushakov added.

The Kremlin said the venue had been agreed but did not specify where the meeting might take place.

"Next week has been set as the target date," Yuri Ushakov added.

Tens of thousands of people have died since Russia launched its military offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian bombing has forced millions to flee their homes and destroyed large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin has rejected repeated calls from the US, Europe, and Kyiv for a ceasefire.

During negotiations in Istanbul, Russian negotiators outlined tough territorial demands if Ukraine wants Russia to halt its advance, calling on Kyiv to withdraw from territories it still controls and renounce Western military support.

Moscow has also repeatedly tried to cast doubt on Zelensky's legitimacy and ruled out a meeting between the two leaders until the terms of a peace agreement are agreed.

The announcement of the upcoming summit comes a day after US envoy Steve Whitford met with Putin in Moscow.

Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Russia did not respond to the proposal, Ushakov said.

"The Russian side left this opportunity completely without comment," he added.

Earlier today, Zelensky renewed his call for a meeting with Putin, which he said was the only way to achieve progress towards peace.

"We in Ukraine have repeatedly stated that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the leadership level," Zelensky wrote on social media.

"It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the scope of issues to be discussed," he added.

The Ukrainian leader said he planned to hold "several" talks during the day, including with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as French and Italian officials.

"There will also be communication at the level of national security advisers. The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end the aggression," Zelensky added. | BGNES