US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are holding a high-level summit in Alaska on Friday, close to a US military base, where the two leaders took part in a red carpet meeting before getting into the same vehicle to depart for talks on Ukraine.
Although they sat together in the US presidential limo, plans for Putin and Trump to meet alone have changed to include their advisers, the White House saud. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff are now expected to join Trump.
Trump told reporters his goal is to get Putin back to the negotiating table not make a deal on behalf of Ukraine. He also did not make promise security guarantees for Kyiv as part of a deal to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is not attending the meeting, said Ukraine would be ‘counting on America.” If the summit goes well, Trump has suggested a trilateral meeting with Zelensky.
The one-onty-one meeting that had been planned between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will now include advisers to the two men, thye White House said.
Trump seems to have a clearer picture of what an unsuccessful summit with Putin looks like than a successful one.
He said on his way here he’ll “walk” if the talks fail. He’s threatened “severe” consequences on Russia if Putin doesn’t agree to end the war. And he’s promised to downgrade a planned joint press conference to a solo appearance if he doesn’t like Putin’s offers.
He said he wanted “certain things” — namely a ceasefire in Ukraine — but beyond that appeared open to options. He hasn’t described, for example, what “land swapping” would be acceptable for the three-year war to end.
The one thing he’s been explicit about is wanting to bring Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into the same room to work out the conflict. But plans for that remain unclear and it’s uncertin either side will find the conditions appropriate.
