Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is ready to reach an agreement to end the Ukraine war, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. He made this remark on Thursday, the day before his meeting with the Russian president in Alaska, USA.
Trump said he believes Vladimir Putin is prepared to make a deal to end the Ukraine war. He added that this expectation comes after President Putin signaled the possibility of a nuclear arms control agreement with the United States ahead of the Alaska meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies have begun active efforts to prevent any deal that could leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks. They have warned against such an agreement at Friday’s summit between the United States and Russia.
In an interview with Fox News Radio on Thursday, Trump said, “I think he (Putin) is going to make a deal.” Trump added that if the meeting with President Putin goes well, he will call Zelensky and European leaders — but if it goes badly, he will not.
He said the aim of Friday’s talks with Putin is to pave the way for a second meeting involving Ukraine. “I don’t know whether we are going to get an immediate ceasefire,” Trump added.
In preparation for the meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, Putin has held discussions with his top ministers and security officials. If successful, the Trump–Putin meeting could end the largest war in Europe since World War II.
In a televised speech, Putin said, “In my opinion, the United States is making sufficiently active and sincere efforts to end the fighting, resolve the crisis, and reach an agreement beneficial to all parties involved. The U.S. has started this effort to create a path for long-term peace between our countries, in Europe, and across the world. In the next step, we could also reach an agreement on strategic offensive arms control.”
Putin’s remarks have raised expectations that nuclear arms control could be a topic in the wider security discussions with Trump. A Kremlin aide said Putin and Trump would also discuss the “huge untapped potential” of Russia–U.S. economic relations.
A senior Eastern European official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Putin might try to distract Trump from Ukraine by showing progress on a possible nuclear arms control deal or some business proposal. “We hope Trump will not fall into Russia’s trap — he understands these dangerous matters,” the official said. He added that Russia’s sole aim is to avoid new sanctions and to get existing ones lifted.
Meanwhile, Trump has announced that he will hold a press conference after meeting Putin, though he did not confirm whether it would be a joint conference. Trump also said there would be exchanges between the two sides over the disputed Ukraine–Russia border and territory.
Currently, Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. Zelensky and European leaders fear that an agreement with Russia could cement this territorial gain. If that happens, it would reward Putin for his 11-year campaign to seize Ukrainian land and could encourage further expansion in Europe.
