Trump to meet Ukraine's Zelenskyy next week in bid to end war

Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg News on Jul 24, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Donald Trump early next week, according to a White House official, amid efforts to revive diplomatic talks to end the war with Russia.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet Tuesday, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing the president’s schedule.

The session will come just days after the Ukrainian president said on social media that he had a “good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer” with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

It also comes after a series of long-range Ukrainian drone strikes deep into Russia have put pressure on the Kremlin and amid political turmoil in the war-time Ukrainian capital. Last week, widespread protests broke out after Zelenskyy fired a popular defense minister who boosted the country’s successful use of drones against Russia amid tensions between him and the army chief, who was later also ousted.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at an ASEAN summit in Manila this week, telling reporters the U.S. was still engaged in efforts to negotiate a peace to a conflict that Trump thinks is “a stupid war — he thinks it’s a senseless war.”

“If we can play a role in bringing it to an end, we’re going to use the power and influence of the United States to do so,” Rubio said.

Also this week, the controversial right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, who enjoys access to Trump and has long minimized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, made a high-profile trip to Kyiv and met with Zelenskyy.

She posted repeatedly — and positively — about Ukraine to her millions of followers, hitting out at other right-wing critics of U.S. support for the country’s war effort against Russia.

—With assistance from Eric Martin.