Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold talks in Alaska on Friday. The US president's expectations for a ceasefire in Ukraine remain uncertain, but Putin has proposed a new nuclear-control agreement that could help both leaders maintain their positions.
The meeting between the Russian and American leaders at a Cold War-era air base in Alaska will be their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House and comes amid concerns that Trump could abandon Kyiv.
The White House confirmed the meeting would begin at 11:00 a.m. Alaska time (8:00 p.m. Ireland time).
Trump, who has previously claimed he could end Russia's war in Ukraine in 24 hours, acknowledged Thursday that the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict has proven more complex than he imagined.
Traditional Russian nesting dolls depicting Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are on sale at a souvenir shop in central Moscow. Photo: AFP via Getty
He noted that if his talks with Putin are successful, organizing a subsequent trilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is not invited to Friday's meeting, would be even more significant than his meeting with Putin.
Trump is seeking a truce to bolster his reputation as a peacemaker on the world stage and to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which is very important to him.
Ukraine and its European partners were encouraged by a phone call on Wednesday in which they said Trump agreed that Ukraine should be included in any talks on the transfer of territory. Zelensky said Trump also supported the idea of security guarantees in a post-war agreement, although the US president has not publicly mentioned this.
Wednesday's call helped allay their fears that a deal between Trump and Putin could force Ukraine to make territorial and other concessions.
Putin, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, needs Trump to help Russia shed tough Western sanctions, or at least not impose new ones as he has threatened.
Before the summit, the Kremlin leader offered Trump another familiar prospect: a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the current one, which expires next February.
Ukraine deal
Ahead of the summit, Trump said he believed Putin would agree to a deal on Ukraine, but he expressed doubts about the likelihood of a breakthrough. Putin, for his part, praised what he called the U.S.'s “sincere efforts” to end the conflict.
A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that it appeared the two sides had found some common ground in advance, although details were not disclosed.
“It looks like some conditions will be agreed upon tomorrow [Friday], since Trump cannot be refused, and we
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
