MOSCOW, Russia — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader won’t meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump, when asked by a reporter if Putin would need to meet with Zelenskyy in order to secure a meeting with the U.S., said: “No, he doesn’t. No.”

His comments followed Putin 's remarks earlier in the day that he hoped to meet with Trump next week, possibly in the United Arab Emirates . But the White House was still working through the details of any potential meetings, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Putin’s announcement came on the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine or suffer additional economic sanctions .

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