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President Trump said on Friday that he plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “very shortly” to talk about a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump told reporters he would announce the date and location soon — possibly as early as Friday — but said he was trying not to overshadow a separate agreement he had brokered between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Trump said a deal to end the war in Ukraine would involve some exchange of territory. “It’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some [territory] back, and we’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both, but we’ll be talking about that either later, or tomorrow,” Trump said.

Putin last met with a U.S. president in 2021, when he sat down with President Joe Biden in Geneva. Trump last met Putin in 2019 on the 

The long-awaited meeting comes after the complicated relationship between Trump and Putin has seen 

Trump came into office promising to quickly end the war, boasting that his relationship with Putin would help reach a peace deal.

For months, he resisted putting much pressure on Putin, saying he did not want to complicate the path to a peace agreement. But more recently, Trump’s 

 against Ukraine. Trump has threatened tougher sanctions against Moscow, saying this week that he would apply steep tariffs on India — a key buyer of Russian oil.

 in Moscow, and afterward, Trump said progress had been made. “There is a good chance we could be coming to an end of this road. That road was long, and continues to be long, but there's a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” Trump said.

Officials in Kyiv and across Europe have accused Moscow of stalling as its troops continue to advance in Eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has also launched 

When Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Turkey in May for their first direct peace talks in years, Putin failed to show up. Trump told reporters in May that he thought it would be necessary for him to meet with Putin.

“I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” Trump said. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”

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Franco Ordoñez

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Danielle Kurtzleben 

President Trump has been pushing to broker an end to the war in Ukraine since he took office. But it hasn't been quick or easy.

Trump says he will meet Putin 'very shortly' and will announce the date and place soon

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