Washington, August 14: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hold a second meeting, possibly in Alaska, as he prepared for high-stakes talks with Putin aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet one-on-one in Alaska on Friday before addressing reporters together, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. Trump described the summit as an opportunity to “set the table” for a quick follow-up meeting with Zelensky, under pressure from U.S. allies to broker such a gathering.
The president warned of “very severe consequences” if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire this week.
Putin, in a video released by the Kremlin after a meeting with senior officials, praised Trump’s “energetic and sincere efforts” to halt the hostilities, more than three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. He said Moscow sought agreements “of interest to all parties involved.”
Zelensky and European leaders have intensified diplomatic efforts to prevent any U.S.–Russia arrangement from Friday’s summit that could leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks.
