{
  "id": 15796868,
  "title": "Trump says Putin and Zelensky don’t need to meet face to face to reach a peace deal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/trump-says-putin-and-zelensky-dont-need-to-meet-face-to-face-to-reach",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T20:16:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/20/trump-says-putin-and-zelensky-don-t-need-to-meet-face-to-face-to-reach-a-peace-deal"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre informed that Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, would travel to St. Petersburg the next day to meet with Russian leadership. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange ideas and proposals, and possibly set the stage for a leaders’ level discussion. Zelensky, who met Witkoff in Oslo, expressed the hope for a potential trilateral meeting of the leaders to address matters that require the involvement of top officials. He mentioned, \"Steve is going to Russia tomorrow, and let’s see what Putin has to say.\" When questioned by reporters about the necessity of Putin and Zelensky to meet face-to-face for a peace agreement, Trump responded, \"I mean, [it] depends. They don’t have to be in the same room. I guess I can do it another way. It’s hard for them to be in the same room. I don’t care how it’s done.\"",
  "summary": "Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff could “pave the way for a meeting at leaders’ level” during talks with Vladimir Putin, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said at a news conference in Oslo.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC",
        "title": "Zelenskyy to meet with U.S. envoy as tensions with Trump mount",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/zelenskyy-to-meet-with-u-s-envoy-as-tensions-with-trump-mount",
        "published": "2026-10-20T10:30:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "Will Xi, Trump, Putin meet at Apec? First, they must agree on an agenda",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/will-xi-trump-putin-meet-at-apec-first-they-must-agree-on-an-agenda",
        "published": "2026-10-20T15:00:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "Trump says he asked Putin to release American Stephen Hubbard",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/trump-says-he-asked-putin-to-release-american-stephen-hubbard",
        "published": "2026-10-20T19:36:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "'Russia is a big machine': Trump says Ukraine 'has to want' to settle war with Putin",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/russia-is-a-big-machine-trump-says-ukraine-has-to-want-to-settle-war",
        "published": "2026-10-20T19:50:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Today",
        "title": "U.S. envoy Witkoff to meet Russians; Trump presses Kyiv to settle",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/u-s-envoy-witkoff-to-meet-russians-trump-presses-kyiv-to-settle",
        "published": "2026-10-20T21:36:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}