On Thursday, US President Donald Trump expressed his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is approaching the summit in Alaska on Friday with the aim of reaching an agreement, suggesting that the threats of sanctions against Moscow may have influenced their desire for a meeting.
Trump is set to meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday. The US president conveyed uncertainty regarding the possibility of achieving an immediate ceasefire but showed interest in facilitating a peace agreement.
During an interview on Fox News radio on Thursday, Trump stated, “I believe now he’s convinced that he’s going to make a deal. He’s going to make a deal. I think he’s going to. And we’re going to find out — I’m going to know very quickly.”
President Trump held optimistic expectations for his forthcoming summit with President Putin, even though White House officials had previously characterized the meeting as merely a “listening exercise.”
Trump articulated that his larger objective is to progress towards a three-way meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, mentioning that “three different locations” are being considered — including the possibility of “staying in Alaska.”
Nevertheless, Trump stipulated a clear condition: “If it’s a bad meeting, I’m not calling anybody — I’m going home. … But if it’s a good meeting, I’m going to call President Zelenskyy and the European leaders.”
When questioned about the potential for offering economic incentives to Russia, President Trump refrained from providing specific details.
“I would prefer not to disclose that information as I do not wish to reveal my position publicly; however, regardless of my position, economic incentives — and possibly disincentives — hold greater significance in a certain sense, particularly economic incentives, you understand,” he stated.
Trump is set to meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
The President of the United States, however, expressed uncertainty regarding the possibility of achieving an immediate ceasefire but showed interest in facilitating a peace agreement.
Earlier in the day, Putin remarked that the United States was making “genuine efforts” to conclude the war in Ukraine and proposed that Moscow and Washington might reach an agreement on a nuclear arms deal as part of a broader initiative to enhance peace.
“The United States is, in my view, making quite vigorous and sincere efforts to halt the hostilities, resolve the crisis, and reach agreements that are beneficial to all parties involved in this conflict,” Putin stated.
Putin indicated that this was occurring, “to establish long-term conditions for peace between our nations, and in Europe, and globally — if, in the subsequent stages, we can reach agreements regarding the control of strategic offensive weapons.”
Putin’s comments suggested that Russia intends to address the topic of nuclear arms control as part of a comprehensive discussion on security when he meets with Trump for the first Russia-US summit since June 2021.
