The Kremlin said on Thursday that the United States and Russia have agreed in principle to hold a bilateral summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the coming days, the first face-to-face meeting of the two leaders since 2021. Kremlin foreign-policy adviser Yury Ushakov told state news agencies that the venue has been chosen and will be announced later, adding that the initiative came from Washington and that preparatory work is under way. Putin, speaking alongside visiting UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed in Moscow, called the United Arab Emirates “one of the suitable places” for the talks and said both sides share an interest in the meeting. Russian officials described a three-hour discussion on Wednesday between Putin and White House envoy Steve Witkoff as “useful and constructive.” The White House confirmed that discussions are ongoing but cautioned that Trump will proceed only if Putin also agrees to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A U.S. official told the New York Post that “Putin must meet with Zelensky for the meeting to occur,” and that no final location has been set. Trump earlier told reporters there is a “good chance” he will meet both leaders soon. Zelenskyy, who has pressed for direct talks to end Russia’s three-year-old invasion, reiterated on Thursday that a face-to-face meeting with Putin is a “clear priority” and urged European leaders to take part in the peace effort. Putin said he has “nothing against” meeting Zelenskyy but argued that conditions for such a dialogue have yet to be created. The diplomatic push unfolds ahead of an Aug. 8 deadline set by Trump for Moscow to show progress toward a cease-fire or face additional U.S. sanctions, including possible secondary measures on countries buying Russian oil. On Wednesday the United States raised tariffs on select Indian imports to 50% in a signal of its readiness to widen economic pressure if the fighting continues.