US President Donald Trump said Thursday (August 7) that he would meet with Vladimir Putin for upcoming talks on the Ukraine war even if the Russian leader had not sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.The statement, which contradicted earlier reports that a Putin-Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for the summit, came after Trump gave Moscow until Friday (August 8) to reach a ceasefire or face fresh sanctions.But asked by reporters in the Oval Office if that deadline still held, Trump did not answer clearly.”It’s going to be up to (Putin),” Trump said. “We’re going to see what he has to say.”The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin was set to attend a summit with Trump in the “coming days,” but the Russian leader essentially ruled out including Zelensky. Zelensky meanwhile insisted that he had to be involved in any talks. n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION2:22 UAE TO HOST PUTIN-TRUMP SUMMIT?4:00 TRUMP SAYS WILL MEET PUTIN WITHOUT ZELENSKY SIT-DOWN7:25 PUTIN MEETS INDIAN PM MODI’S TOP AIDE