ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott pressed President Donald Trump on his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, during which the White House said Putin promised to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the coming weeks.
“Mr. president, when you met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, how soon did he say that he wanted to sit down with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy?” Scott asked. “Russia, as of now, says there’s no meeting on the books and no agenda set.”
“Well, that’s going to be up to them,” Trump said. “It takes two to tango, I always say. And they should meet, I think, before I have a meeting and probably close the deal but I think it’s appropriate they meet.”
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office of the White House, Aug. 25, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Trump called it a “concession” for Putin to travel to Alaska to meet earlier this month, saying the Russian leader “wasn’t happy” to travel to the U.S. Trump said he “appreciate the fact” Putin came to the U.S. and said he’s “always had a very good relationship” with him.
“I don’t know that they’ll meet,” he went on to say about Putin and Zelenskyy. “Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. They’d like me to be at the meeting. I said, ‘You guys have to work it out. It’s between you.'”
Trump was asked how long he was willing to let this play out and whether there would be additional consequences for Russia if Putin doesn’t sit down with Zelenskyy. Trump said “we’ll see what happens over the next week or two.”
