Talk emerged this week of a possible trilateral summit in the coming weeks involving U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the goal of an immediate ceasefire agreement and potential peace deal to finally end the Russia-Ukraine war.

On Thursday, however, despite an initial adamance that all three nations must be involved in any summit, the White House indicated that Trump was "open" to the idea of a bilateral meeting with just Putin, according to the New York Post.

The apparent willingness to meet one-on-one with the Russian leader likely stems from Putin's reported refusal to commit to a meeting involving Zelenskyy, as well as Trump's intent to do whatever is necessary to stop the death and destruction that has raged for more than three years.

Trump-Putin bilateral summit possible

The Post reported that President Trump was asked on Thursday in the Oval Office if the presence of President Zelenskyy would be a prerequisite for any meeting with President Putin, but Trump replied, "No," and said, "They would like to meet with me, and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing."

Just hours earlier, though, an unnamed White House official informed the outlet that Putin "must meet with Zelensky for the meeting to occur."

By Thursday afternoon, however, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, "As the president said yesterday, the Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to this meeting."

"President Trump would like to meet with both President Putin and President Zelensky because he wants this brutal war to end," she added. "The White House is working through the details of these potential meetings, and details will be provided at the appropriate time."

Zelenskyy demands inclusion

ABC News reported that talk of a potential trilateral summit involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine had emerged on Wednesday after White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff concluded a meeting in Moscow with Putin, though Russian officials were quick to downplay any reported commitment to the summit if Zelenskyy were involved.

For his part, Zelenskyy was insistent on Thursday that both he and representatives of the European Union must be included in any leader-level talks about ending the war, and said in a social media post, "The war is happening in Europe, and Ukraine is an integral part of Europe -- we are already in negotiations on EU accession. Therefore, Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes."

He further noted that security officials from Europe, the U.S., and Ukraine would soon meet to "align our joint views," and added, "Yesterday, various potential formats for leader-level meetings to bring peace were also discussed -- two bilateral and one trilateral. Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same brave approach from the Russian side."

Where and when?

One major question about the potential Trump-Putin bilateral summit is where it would be held, and according to Newsweek, Putin suggested that the United Arab Emirates, whose president he was hosting in Moscow on Thursday, would be an ideal location.

"We have many friends who are ready to help us organize such an event. One of those friends is the president of the UAE," Putin told reporters at the Kremlin. "I think we'll make a decision, but it would be one of the more suitable locations."

The Hill reported that other potential locations for a bilateral or trilateral summit, given their histories of mediating prior disputes between major players on the world stage, including the U.S. and Russia, include Turkey, Qatar, Finland, and Switzerland.

As for the timing of any possible summit, nothing has been set yet, but all indications are that it will be arranged soon, perhaps within the next week or two, but likely before the end of the month -- unless, of course, talks break down and the whole affair is called off.