US President Donald Trump before leaving for talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska Photo Getty Images
Donald Trump will be assisted by seven senior officials in negotiations with Vladimir Putin. What are their positions on Ukraine? Forbes analysis
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Today at 10:30 p.m. Kyiv time, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is scheduled to take place in Alaska. The key focus is finding a way to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The negotiations were preceded by a wave of publications in Western media. The most alarming scenario was an agreement between Trump and Putin, according to which the US would begin to demand that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Donetsk region.
However, in the middle of the week, Trump assured European leaders that he would not negotiate over Ukrainian territory but would focus on a ceasefire, according to CNN sources.
The analytical community gives no more than a 20% probability of a ceasefire agreement between Trump and Putin. Ukrainian diplomats are in a state of uncertainty. “We are like on billboards about our military, ‘Ready for any scenario,’” says an interlocutor in diplomatic circles on condition of anonymity.
Trump is planning to speak with Putin not only one-on-one, but also as part of a larger delegation. The American delegation includes seven senior officials and White House press secretary Caroline Levitt, Reuters reported, citing the White House.
US Vice President J.D. Vance, who has been in talks with top Ukrainian and European officials over the past week, has been left out of the group. According to Politico sources and a Forbes source, Vance has recently begun to evolve towards a more pro-Ukrainian position.
Who will help Trump in negotiations with Putin and his team? And what roles can top American officials play in the negotiations? Forbes analysis.
