Trump thinks Zelenskyy showing up in Alaska could sink Putin negotiations – WSJ
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump is concerned that the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Alaska summit could disrupt talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Yesterday, August 13, European leaders and Zelenskyy presented Trump with five short red lines to take to the Alaska summit.
Initially, European officials sought direct representation at the Alaska meeting, which will also include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, suggesting Secretary General Mark Rutte or another European leader, as well as Zelenskyy.
However, after conversations between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Trump, the Europeans dropped this demand, while publicly calling on Zelenskyy to take part in any talks with Putin.
Trump had previously told Merz that Zelenskyy would be invited to a second meeting with Putin if the Alaska talks paved the way for direct negotiations.
Anonymous sources familiar with the talks say that Trump expressed concern that Zelenskyy's presence at the beginning could disrupt the talks.
On Tuesday, Trump himself told reporters that he sees his role as mediating future talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, ideally after the Alaska summit.
The US president agreed that after meeting with Putin, he would first hold a briefing with Zelenskyy and then with the European leaders who participated in Wednesday's meeting.
Talks in Alaska
US President Donald Trump has announced a planned meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin to be held on August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. The talks will be held at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base.
According to the WSJ, Putin may demand that Trump recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia in exchange for the withdrawal of troops from other regions.
Meanwhile, the European Union, together with Ukraine, has prepared its own draft peace plan, which they propose for discussion between the American and Russian leaders.
The Ukrainian side has formulated five key conditions that must be met to achieve a just peace.
For more details about the upcoming meeting, read RBC-Ukraine's article.
