The topic being discussed now is the possibility of a meeting between [Russian dictator Vladimir] Putin and Zelenskyy, as this is being talked about in both Moscow and Kyiv. My take is that this idea is coming from Washington.

Zelenskyy did not confirm a meeting with Trump but said diplomacy would be ramping up. "The coming weeks may be very intensive in diplomacy, and we will do what’s needed to make this time effective and productive. We always appreciate working with President Trump," he said shortly after Trump spoke.

That will take some doing. Putin remains uninterested in peace talks as long as Russian troops continue to gain ground in Ukraine’s east, albeit at a slow pace, and while Ukrainian forces hold seized territory in the Kursk region inside Russia, according to John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and other former officials.