On the eve of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes Moscow may be prepared to end its war in Ukraine, though he suggested lasting peace would likely require a second meeting that includes Ukraine’s leader.
“I think President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelenskiy will make peace,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’ll see if they get along.”
Trump downplayed expectations for a ceasefire to emerge directly from Friday’s talks in Anchorage, Alaska. He floated the idea of a follow-up meeting that could bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and possibly some European leaders into the room. “Maybe we’ll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don’t know that,” he said.
Ukrainian concerns
Kyiv and its European allies have devoted this week to diplomatic contingency management, aiming to dissuade Washington and Moscow from finalizing arrangements that would expose Ukraine to increased military risk. Currently, Russian forces occupy close to one-fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. European capitals analyze that any diplomatic settlement that formalizes those and neighboring gains might effectively validate the Kremlin’s present strategy, thereby enhancing its willingness to project force more deeply into Europe.
“It would be scary to see how it all unfolds in the coming hours,” one EU diplomat said, adding that Trump’s assurances during recent calls with European leaders felt encouraging at the time but remained uncertain.
French President Emmanuel Macron said after a virtual meeting on Wednesday that Trump had ruled out NATO as part of any future security guarantees for Ukraine but expressed openness to U.S. and allied participation. “It felt like a big step forward,” another European official told Reuters, though no specifics were provided.
Putin’s position
In televised remarks to his senior officials before departing for Alaska, Putin praised what he called “energetic and sincere efforts” by the United States to stop hostilities and create “long-term conditions for peace.” He indicated nuclear arms control would be a key issue on the table, alongside broader security questions.
A Kremlin aide said economic ties between Russia and the United States would also be raised, describing “huge untapped potential” in bilateral trade.
Diplomats from Eastern Europe voiced concern that Putin may try to redirect Trump’s focus toward arms control or business opportunities, rather than Ukraine. “We hope Trump won’t be fooled by the Russians,” one senior official said.
What comes next
Trump said there would be a press conference after the meeting, though he was unsure if it would be joint. He also told Fox News earlier in the week that there could be “a give and take” on borders and land. At one point, he likened the diplomacy to a chess match. “There is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting,” Trump said.
Ukraine’s future security remains at the center of the debate. Trump has warned of “severe consequences” if Putin resists a peace deal and has threatened fresh economic sanctions. Russia, meanwhile, has signaled little change from the position Putin first outlined in June 2024.
The summit scheduled for Friday will mark the initial in-person interaction between the presidents of the United States and Russia since June 2021. It will occur at a moment of elevated difficulty in the ongoing conflict, a period that has produced significant casualties—tens of thousands of dead—and has forcibly relocated millions since the Russian government ordered its comprehensive military incursion in February 2022.
