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State Department defers to White House on possible Trump‑Putin summit; emphasizes actions over trust in ending Ukraine conflict
Summary
When asked about a potential summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, the State Department spokesperson said specifics are a White House matter, emphasized that the administration seeks actions rather than trust, and said the U.S. remains committed to pursuing a diplomatic end to the conflict.
When asked whether a proposed meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could occur without a Russian‑Ukrainian meeting, State Department spokesperson Tommy repeatedly referred reporters to the White House for scheduling and specific conditions and emphasized that the U.S. looks for actions to match words.
Tommy said the administration's "ultimate goal is to end this conflict, get the parties to the table, see the ceasefire and an enduring peace," but declined to preview presidential scheduling or whether a meeting could go forward without a Putin‑Zelensky meeting. "It's not a question of trust. It's a question of actions," he said, repeating that the president has been disappointed in recent Russian actions and that the United States seeks verifiable steps that would make diplomatic engagement productive.
The spokesperson also declined to speculate about sanctions timetables or to characterize private diplomatic exchanges in detail, repeatedly referring reporters to the White House for decisions about presidential meetings and to the secretary's public comments for descriptions of conditions conveyed by the Russians to U.S. envoys.
