Will Zelenskyy talk to Putin by December 31?

Prediction markets put the probability at 30%: Will Zelenskyy talk to Putin by December 31. Currently, markets see this as unlikely (30% YES). Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy each spoke by phone with U.S.

What’s Happening

On Sunday, June 14, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy each held separate phone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump, who marked his 80th birthday the same day. Trump stated that recent strikes on civilian targets inside Russia were complicating any path toward a negotiated settlement, while suggesting that a swift end to hostilities could unlock "a truly new quality" of bilateral relations. The White House has not formally confirmed the substance of either call, and neither Moscow nor Kyiv issued a joint readout — leaving the question of whether Zelenskyy talk to Putin by December 31 contingent on a third-party brokered framework rather than direct bilateral momentum. [CNBC, Jun 14]

Two days later, on June 16, Zelenskyy joined G7 leaders for a closed-door session in Evian, France, where French President Emmanuel Macron urged him to extend his stay, though the Ukrainian leader departed early for Brussels to advance Kyiv's EU membership application. White House officials confirmed in a pre-summit briefing that Trump would not hold a solo bilateral with Zelenskyy but did not rule out a sideline conversation. Hawks within the European delegation argued that any prospect that Zelenskyy talk to Putin by December 31 would require prior territorial guarantees, while analysts cautioned that Moscow has consistently rejected preconditions and continues to frame direct engagement as capitulation by Kyiv. Drone strikes that weekend killed two civilians inside Russia, and the UK detained a tanker linked to sanctioned Russian crude transit. [NY Post, Jun 16]

The structural barrier to resolution remains the absence of a mutually acceptable mediator format. The Kremlin has signaled willingness for technical contacts but rejected a Zelenskyy-Putin summit absent recognition of annexed territories, while Kyiv refuses talks under occupation. With roughly six months remaining until the December 31 deadline, the operative question of whether Zelenskyy talk to Putin by December 31 hinges on whether Trump's parallel-track diplomacy converts phone diplomacy into a trilateral mechanism — or whether continued battlefield escalation, including the recent civilian-target strikes, hardens both capitals against direct contact. No face-to-face meeting between the two leaders has occurred since the war began in February 2022. [CBS News, Jun 14]

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