US President Donald Trump is open to holding a trilateral summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a White House official said on Saturday.
The official added that while the idea is under discussion, current plans centre on a bilateral meeting with Putin, set for 15 August in Alaska at the Russian president’s request. “The President remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin,” the senior official told Reuters.
Another person briefed on the talks said, “It’s being discussed,” while a senior administration source described it as “absolutely” possible, as per an earlier report by NBC News. The Ukrainian government has not commented.
Trump-Putin Alaska meet: How the talks reached this point
Trump announced on Friday that he would meet with Putin in Alaska to push for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The White House had initially insisted that Putin meet Zelenskyy before Trump agreed to a summit with the Russian leader, but this was later dropped.
If Zelenskyy does attend, sources say it is unclear whether he and Putin would meet directly.
The renewed diplomatic push follows a visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, ahead of a deadline set by Trump for Putin to agree to a ceasefire or face sanctions. Putin did not agree to the terms but proposed an arrangement allowing Russia to retain large areas of occupied Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy rejected the idea, stating, “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers.”
Trump has previously suggested there could be “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” US officials are continuing talks with Ukraine and European leaders to build support for a potential agreement.
The official added that while the idea is under discussion, current plans centre on a bilateral meeting with Putin, set for 15 August in Alaska at the Russian president’s request. “The President remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin,” the senior official told Reuters.
Another person briefed on the talks said, “It’s being discussed,” while a senior administration source described it as “absolutely” possible, as per an earlier report by NBC News. The Ukrainian government has not commented.
Trump-Putin Alaska meet: How the talks reached this point
Trump announced on Friday that he would meet with Putin in Alaska to push for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The White House had initially insisted that Putin meet Zelenskyy before Trump agreed to a summit with the Russian leader, but this was later dropped.
If Zelenskyy does attend, sources say it is unclear whether he and Putin would meet directly.
The renewed diplomatic push follows a visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, ahead of a deadline set by Trump for Putin to agree to a ceasefire or face sanctions. Putin did not agree to the terms but proposed an arrangement allowing Russia to retain large areas of occupied Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy rejected the idea, stating, “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers.”
Trump has previously suggested there could be “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” US officials are continuing talks with Ukraine and European leaders to build support for a potential agreement.
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