The White House said President Donald Trump plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week in what it described as a “listening exercise.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the discussion is intended to give Trump “a better understanding” of Russia’s position on ending the war in Ukraine. Leavitt emphasized that no representatives of Ukraine will attend the session and that the U.S. side does not expect formal agreements or joint statements to emerge. Instead, the encounter is framed as fact-finding for Trump ahead of any broader diplomatic initiative. The approach marks a shift from the Biden administration, which avoided direct leader-level talks with Moscow after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.