US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that his Russian counterpart is prepared to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. POTUS made these comments a day before a high-stakes meeting between the leaders of the United States and Russia in Alaska.
In an interview on Fox News Radio on Thursday, Trump said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin “wanted the whole thing,” an apparent reference to Moscow’s territorial ambitions in Ukraine, but was now willing to engage in talks due to the rapport between the two leaders.
“I think he wants to get it done. I really feel he wanted the whole thing. I think if it weren’t me, if it were somebody else, he would not be talking to anybody,” Trump told interviewer Brian Kilmeade.
When And Where In Alaska is The Meeting Happening?
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the more than three-year conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend this round of talks, but Trump has said that if Putin signals readiness to end the war, a follow-up meeting involving Zelenskyy could take place.
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The meeting is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. Alaska time, followed by a joint press conference. The base, which hosts around 30,000 service members, family members, and civilian employees, lies approximately 700 miles from Russia’s border.
Trump will depart Washington, D.C., early on August 15, flying for six to seven hours aboard Air Force One before landing in Anchorage.
Trump-Putin Alaska Meeting: What is On the Agenda?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox & Friends on August 14, said the summit will include a “bilateral lunch” between the two leaders and their delegations, followed by a joint news conference.
Putin will become the first elected Russian leader to visit Alaska for a summit. The territory was purchased from Moscow by the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million, according to the National Archives. If plans proceed as expected, this will be Putin’s eighth visit to the US during his presidency, a position he has held for more than 20 years across two separate terms since 1999.
Why has Trump Warned of ‘Severe Consequences’ if No Deal Reached?
Trump has warned that there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin refuses to agree to end the conflict. He described the Alaska meeting as “setting the table” for a potential Putin-Zelenskyy summit, which he might also attend.
In his August 14 interview with Kilmeade, Trump likened the talks to a “chess game” and estimated there is a “25% chance” that the meeting could fail to make progress toward peace.
Trump has floated the possibility of a “land swap” between Russia and Ukraine, suggesting that both nations would have to cede territory to end the war. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has firmly rejected the proposal.
“Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” Zelenskyy declared in a video posted on X on August 9.
Also Read: Donald Trump Hints At Putin-Zelenskyy Meet In Alaska – Could Peace In Ukraine Finally Be Possible?
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
