Trump skeptical about persuading Putin to stop killings in Ukraine
US President Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump was highly skeptical about the possibility of persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin to make peace in Ukraine during the summit in Alaska on August 15, according to Trump's briefing at the Kennedy Center.
In response to a journalist's question about whether he would be able to persuade Putin to "stop targeting civilians in Ukraine," Trump said, "probably no."
"So I guess the answer to that is no. because I've had that conversation with him. I've had a lot of good conversations with him, and then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home, or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the streets...But I want to end it," he said.
Trump stated he is ready to hold a second meeting — this time with the participation not only of Putin but also of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, there is one condition — the second meeting will take place if the summit in Alaska goes well.
Trump also promised the Russian president "very severe consequences" if he refuses to end the war against Ukraine. However, the American president did not go into details.
Trump–Putin meeting
On Friday, August 15, Trump will meet with Putin in Alaska. The meeting will take place at a US military base. Trump wants to negotiate with the head of the Kremlin about a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
According to media reports, during the meeting Putin may present Trump with an ultimatum — to recognize the occupied territories of Ukraine as Russian in exchange for the withdrawal of aggressor forces from other regions and oblasts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, after a joint conversation between Zelenskyy and European leaders, confirmed that Ukraine is ready to discuss territorial issues in possible peace negotiations with Russia. However, there are several conditions, the main one being that there will be no legal recognition of the occupied territories.
