Erdogan after meeting Putin: Türkiye ready to do everything possible for peace

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be open to meeting with him again, but only after a peace agreement is reached to end the Russo-Ukrainian war. This assertion came during a meeting with U.S. tourism industry leaders in the Oval Office on September 2nd. When asked about Putin's willingness to meet, Trump said, "Oh, he would do it if I wanted it, but I want to do it when we are ready to do a peace deal."

Trump emphasized his desire for "good relations with everybody," noting that Russia possesses "great land, very valuable land," making it mutually advantageous to maintain amicable relations with Moscow.

On August 25th, reports surfaced that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had secretly arrived in Moscow. Concurrently, media outlets reported that the U.S. had instructed Ukraine to refrain from targeting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and northern Russia while the delegation was present. The Wall Street Journal suggested Ratcliffe may have traveled to Moscow to warn Putin, citing intelligence reports that Russia was preparing a mobilization and testing NATO's resolve.

Axios reported that Ratcliffe intended to convene a trilateral meeting, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump, and Putin. However, Russian outlet Agentstvo.Novosti later claimed that Putin declined to meet with Ratcliffe after discovering the message's content. The source cited by the outlet stated that Ratcliffe's visit aimed to reach an agreement for ending the war against Ukraine as soon as possible.

The CIA reportedly believed that Russia's military and economic situation was weakening, making it more advantageous for the Kremlin to conclude an agreement promptly.