President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he hopes to see a second meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Alaska. Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
“I would say that tomorrow, all I want to do is set the table for the next meeting, which should happen shortly. I’d like to see it actually happen, maybe in Alaska,” Trump said.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump and Putin will meet one-on-one before holding a joint press conference.
Trump Warns of Severe Consequences
Ahead of the meeting, Trump warned that he would impose “very severe consequences” if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire later this week.
The US President also expressed his intention to use the Friday meeting to set up a “quick second meeting” with Zelensky, following pressure from allies to push for such a summit.
Putin Praises Trump’s Peace Efforts
Russian President Putin commended Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow’s invasion.
Following a meeting with top Russian officials, Putin said in a Kremlin video 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.”
Zelensky and Allies Push Back
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies have intensified efforts to prevent any US–Russia deal from Friday’s summit that could leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks.
