Trump gave a little more information about the closed-doors talks with Putin in a statement – and suggested what could happen next
Donald Trump has indicated a second meeting with Vladimir Putin could follow if talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday go well.
He made the statement on his own Truth Social website, following hours of talks with Putin in Alaska, which ended with no apparent progress towards a ceasefire – and a lengthy phone call with Zelensky and world leaders.
Trump said the meeting with Putin “went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine and various European leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO.”
He went on: “It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreemen, which often times do not hold up.”
Russia has consistently rejected the idea of a ceasefire, insisting Putin would only agree to a final treaty to end the conflict.
And Putin last night gave no indication he’d given up on his long-held belief that Ukraine is not a real country, and is entirely Russian territory.
At a press conference following the talks, he repeated his position that it is “sincerely interested in putting an end” to the war in Ukraine, but for that to happen, “all the root causes of the crisis … must be eliminated.”
“All of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored,” Putin said.
He claimed the negotiations could lead to potentially millions of lives being saved.
“President Zelensky will be coming to DC, the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon,” he added. “If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin.”
Monday’s meeting will be Zelensky’s second visit to the White House. The first, in May, ended with Ukraine’s president being angrily berated by Trump and Vice President JD Vance.