The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed to hold a bilateral summit within the next few days, the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders since June 2021. Kremlin foreign-policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters the initiative came from Washington and that both sides have begun “concrete preparations.” A venue has been agreed in principle and will be announced later, he added, declining to give a precise date. The announcement follows talks in Moscow on Wednesday between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff aimed at reviving negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Ushakov said Witkoff proposed expanding the gathering to include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but Moscow did not take up the idea, opting to focus on a bilateral format. Russian assets rallied on the news. The benchmark MOEX Russia index jumped more than 5% to a two-month high, while the rouble strengthened to its highest level in two weeks against both the U.S. dollar and China’s yuan. The planned summit comes against a backdrop of severely strained relations since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump has warned that additional sanctions could follow if Moscow does not move toward a cease-fire.