Trump, Putin will meet in Alaska to participate in Ukraine peace talks without Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Donald Trump and the Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday was because Russian leaders expanded the invitation, according to the White House.

“The president agreed to the meeting at the request of President Putin,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Tell reporters Tuesday. “The goal of this meeting of the President is to better understand how we end this war.”

“I think the president of the United States enters the room with the President of Russia and sits face to face, rather than speaking over the phone, which will provide the president with the best indication of how to end this war and where it goes,” Levitt said.

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Meanwhile, Zelenskyy remains firm in his opinion that any decision to end a war without Ukraine is futile.

“Any decisions made against us, no decisions made by Ukraine – they also decide to oppose peace,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Saturday. “These are decisions that are dead; they will never work. We all need a real, living peace that people will respect.”

Other European allies are back. A group of European leaders issued a statement on Saturday claiming that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”

Trump told reporters on Monday that he predicted that he would know within minutes whether Putin took the deal seriously. He also admitted that Russia and Ukraine would have to look at some “exchange” issues as part of the agreement.

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the James Brady press room at the White House on August 11, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Trump also said he would contact Zelenskyy and other European leaders after meeting with Putin.

“If it’s a good deal, I’ll reveal it to EU leaders and NATO leaders and President Zelensky,” Trump said. “I might say, ‘A lot of luck, keep fighting’, or I might say we can make a deal.”

When asked whether the meeting would pave the way for a peace deal or whether it just felt like Trump had a chance to reach a deal, Levitt said the administration did not rule out any option.

Trump, Putin will hold his first face-to-face meeting since joining the invasion of Ukraine in Alas next week

President Donald Trump, left, Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands at the beginning of the meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland on July 16, 2018. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

“I think both can be true, right?” Levitt said. “The president has been saying he wants a peace agreement. He wants to see the war end. But this bilateral meeting is a bilateral meeting between one party in this bipartisan war. Yes. You need the two countries to agree to a deal. The president accepted this bilateral meeting with Putin on Friday and I will further agree with him after his comments.”

Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday – despite the president’s comments on the two who will meet in Russia in recent days.

“A lot of locations were discussed, but of course, Alaska is a state within the U.S.,” Levitt said. “The president is therefore very honored and looks forward to preside over President Putin on U.S. soil.”