Trump, Vance to meet virtually with Zelenskyy ahead of Putin summit

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will take part in a virtual meeting on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European allies, two US officials confirmed to ABC News, Report informs.

Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Russia is showing signs it may want to end the war after Zelenskyy spoke by phone with Trump, White House adviser Steve Witkoff and European leaders last week.

"During the call, there was a signal from Mr. Witkoff, who was also on the call, that Russia is ready to end the war, or at least to make a first step toward a ceasefire, and that this was the first such signal from them," Zelenskyy said of the call, which took place Friday. "Everyone on the call felt positive about this -- that there was some kind of shift."

Zelenskyy emphasized there were no demands or concrete proposals from the US, just discussions, and it's still unclear to him what exactly Russian President Vladimir Putin told Witkoff.

The Ukrainian president also said he was told that since a meeting with him and Trump already took place, one between Putin and Trump logically followed. "And then a trilateral meeting -- the US, Ukraine and Russia - should take place," Zelenskyy said.

The White House officially announced the summit between Trump and Putin will take place in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.

Zelenskyy said Putin was preparing for "new offensive operations" despite Friday's looming peace summit in Alaska -- and as Russian forces appear to have scored significant front-line success in eastern Ukraine.

Fierce front-line combat and long-range drone and missile strikes are ongoing as the US and Russia prepare for Friday's meeting. Ukrainian representatives are not expected to attend, though a source in Zelenskyy's office told ABC News on Monday that "everything is very fluid."

Zelenskyy and his officials have gone on a diplomatic offensive ahead of the meeting, seeking to shore up foreign support behind Ukraine's key demands in any peace deal.