ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he expects to use his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to set the stage for a second meeting that would also involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Friday, Trump and Putin are set to meet one-on-one at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. After that, they will hold a press conference together.
“I would say that all I want to do tomorrow is set the table for the next meeting, which should happen soon,” Trump added. “I’d like to see it happen for real, maybe in Alaska.”
European allies have been putting pressure on Trump to make sure Ukraine is heard in any peace talks. This is why he is proposing a three-way summit. Trump had a virtual conference with Zelenskyy and other European leaders just days before the summit. During that discussion, he allegedly told Russia that there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire.
Putin Says Good Things About Trump’s Work
Before the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin commended Trump’s efforts to end the war that has been raging on since Russia invaded in 2022. Putin said in a video published by the Kremlin that the Trump administration was making “quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities” and to “reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved.”
Putin’s appreciation is very different from what Zelenskyy said recently. The president of Ukraine and his European allies are working harder than ever to make sure that no deal comes out of the Alaska conference that puts Ukraine at risk of being attacked again in the future. Zelenskyy has said many times that any peace deal that doesn’t include Ukraine will be “dead decisions” that “will never work.” He has also strongly turned down any plan that would involve “land swapping” or giving Russian territory to Ukraine.