I am not here to negotiate for Ukraine. Putin believes that his continuous attacks give him strength in negotiations, but I think that hurts him. I think we will achieve some result at the summit with Putin. I am working to end the war to save lives. Russia will face severe economic consequences if it does not reach an agreement.

Donald Trump US President

AP Anchorage

US President Donald Trump is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for a high-stakes summit that could determine not only the trajectory of the war in Ukraine but the fate of Euro­pean security. The sit-down offers Trump a chance to prove to the world he is both a master dealmaker and a global peacemaker. He and his allies have cast him as a heavyweight negotiator who can find a way to bring the slaught­er to a close, something he us­ed to boast he could do quickly.

For Putin, a summit with Trump offers a long-sought opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia’s gains, block Kyiv’s bid to join the NATO military alliance and pull Ukraine back into Moscow’s orbit.

There are risks for Trump. By bringing Putin onto US soil, the president is giving Russia’s leader the validation he desires after his ostracisation following his invasion of Ukraine over three years ago.  The exclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelens­kyy deals a blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” and invites the possibility that Trump could agree to a deal that Ukraine does not want.

Any success is far from assured, as Russia and Ukraine remain apart in their demands for peace. Putin has resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine’s mobilisation efforts, conditions Kyiv and its allies rejected. “High stakes!” Trump posted on Truth Social as his motorcade idled outside the White House shortly after sunrise in Washington. An hour later, he waved as he boarded Air Force One but did not speak to reporters. 

Trump on Thursday said there was a 25% chance the summit would fail, but he floated the idea if the meeting succeeds he could bring Zelenskyy to Alaska for a subsequent, three-way meeting, a possibility that Russia has not agreed to. Asked in Ancho­rage about Trump’s estimate of a 25% chance of failure, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters Russia “never plans ahead. “We know we have arguments, a clear, understandab­le position. We will state it,” he said on the Russian Forei­gn Ministry’s Telegram channel.

Trump told Fox News he did not know if they would get “an immediate ceasefire” but he wanted a peace deal done. That echoes Putin’s argument Russia favours a deal to end the war, reflecting its demands, not a temporary halt to hostilities. The Kremlin said Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one discussion, followed by the delegations meeting and talks continuing over “a working breakfast”, followed by a joint press conference.