The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Thursday that he thought that Russian president Vladimir Putin would conclude an agreement on his war against Ukraine and that the threat of sanctions against Russia probably played a role in Moscow’s decision to ask for a meeting.
Trump should meet Putin in Alaska tomorrow.
The American president said that he did not know if an immediate cease-fire could be achieved, but that he had expressed his interest in the negotiation of a peace agreement.
“I believe that now, he is convinced that he will conclude an agreement. He will conclude an agreement. I think he will do it, and we will discover it,” said Trump in an interview on the radio of Fox News “ The Brian Kilmeade Show ”.
Find out more: Alaska Summit a “victory” for Putin: Zelensky
Trump also mentioned in the Fox interview that he had three locations in mind for a follow -up meeting with Putin and the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, although he noted that a second meeting was not guaranteed.
He said that staying in Alaska for a three top would be the simplest scenario.
“According to what is happening with my meeting, I will call President Zelensky, and let’s share him wherever we are going to meet,” said Trump.
He said that a second meeting, featuring Trump, Putin and Zelensky, would probably dig more deeply in border problems. Zelensky was categorical about not giving in the territory that Russian forces occupy.
“The second meeting will be very, very important, because it will be a meeting where they conclude an agreement. And I don’t want to use the word “Divy things”, but you know, to some extent, it’s not a bad term, okay? ” He said.
“But there will be a gift and a catch on the limits, the land, etc., etc. The second meeting will be very, very, very important. This meeting is set up as a chess game. This (first) meeting is organizing a second meeting, but there is 25% of this meeting is not a successful meeting,” he said.
He said it would be for Putin and Zelensky to conclude an agreement.
“I will not negotiate their agreement. I will let them negotiate their agreement,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Putin spoke to her most senior ministers and security officials when he was preparing for a meeting with Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, who could shape the end of the war in Europe since the Second World War.
In the television comments, Putin said that the United States “made, in my opinion, fairly energetic and sincere efforts to stop hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that interest all parties involved in this conflict”.
Read also: Russian forces pierce the lines of Ukraine
This happened, Putin said: “In order to create long -term conditions for peace between our countries, in Europe, and in the world as a whole – if, by the following stages, we reach agreements in the field of strategic offensive weapons control.”
His comments said Russia will increase nuclear weapons control as part of a large discussion on security when he sits with Trump.
An assistant from the Kremlin said that Putin and Trump would also discuss the enormous unexploited potential “for the economic ties of Russia-US.
A senior Eastern Europe official, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, said Putin would try to distract Trump from Ukraine during talks by offering him possible progress on nuclear weapons or something related to companies.
“We hope that Trump will not be fooled by the Russians; he understands that all dangerous things,” said the manager, adding that the only objective of Russia was to avoid new sanctions and that existing sanctions have lifted.
Russia controls approximately a fifth in Ukraine, and Zelensky and the Europeans fear that an agreement can consolidate these gains, enriching Putin for 11 years of effort to grasp Ukrainian land and the Enholder to develop further in Europe.
An EU diplomat said that it would be “scary to see how everything is going in the coming hours. Trump had very good calls yesterday with Europe, but it was yesterday. ”
Trump had shown the desire to join the security guarantees for Ukraine at a last virtual meeting with European leaders and Zelensky on Wednesday, European leaders said, although there is no public mention afterwards.
The summit of Friday, the first summit of Russia-US since June 2021, arrived at one of the most difficult moments of Ukraine in a war which killed tens of thousands and moved millions since the large-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022.
Speaking after Wednesday’s meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump said NATO’s transatlantic alliance should not be part of the security guarantees designed to protect Ukraine against future attacks in post-war rules.
However, Trump also said that the United States and all voluntary allies should be part of the security guarantees, added Macron.
By expanding this, a European official told Reuters that Trump declared on the call that he was ready to provide security guarantees for Europe, without spelling what they would be.
It “looked like a big step forward,” said the official, who didn’t want to be appointed. It was not immediately clear what these guarantees could mean in practice.
Trump on Wednesday threatened with “serious consequences” if Putin does not accept peace in Ukraine and warned against economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday is unsuccessful.
Russia is likely to resist the requests of Ukraine and Europe and previously declared that its position had not changed since it was detailed for the first time by Putin in June 2024.
