US President Donald Trump said he expects his meeting with Vladimir Putin to go well, but added that what will be even more important is the second meeting after the Alaska summit, where the presidents of Ukraine and Russia will be joined by Trump and possibly by some European leaders.
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Hours before departing for his meeting with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said he expected the summit to be a "good meeting" but added that it would not be the most crucial round of peace talks.
"The second meeting will be more important," Trump said, adding that he expects it to include Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and "possibly someone from Europe," in addition to Trump and Putin.
Trump previously said that he would want the second meeting to take place as soon as possible after the Alaska summit.
"I'd like to see it happen very quickly after this meeting. I'd like to see it actually happen, maybe in Alaska, where we just stay, because it's so much easier," he said.
On Thursday, Trump described the upcoming Alaska talks as "setting the table for the second meeting," which would include Putin and Zelenskyy.
"We are going to have the second meeting if the first one goes well," Trump said.
When asked if a meeting with Putin could be perceived as a "reward," Trump categorically denied it.
"President Putin would like to have a deal," Trump said stating that "Without me he would take over all of Ukraine. But I am president and he is not going to mess with me."
It is the first time the US president has suggested that European leaders might be invited to the second meeting.
Trump has said repeatedly he wouldn't have allowed the conflict to start if he had been in office and on the presidential campaign trail said more than once he could end the war within a day.
Since returning to office, Trump has criticised Zelenskyy, saying he should have made a deal with Putin to avoid the conflict.
But more recently he appears to be growing impatient with Putin, criticising him for launching strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine and warning of "severe consequences" if he doesn't stop the war after Friday's talks in Alaska.
Talks with Europe
On Thursday a virtual summit took place initiated by the leaders of Ukraine and Germany in an effort to remind the world of one of Kyiv's main diplomatic principles: "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."
Following the call with Trump and European leaders, Zelenskyy said the top priority both for Wednesday's talks and Friday's summit is a ceasefire, a sentiment that, according to him, Trump agreed with.
"We talked about ceasefire today. President Trump said this is one of his priorities in conversation with President Putin," Zelenskyy said after the call during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"I very much hope that some agreement will be reached, because so far all the talks held with Putin ... have ended only with him increasing military presence, intensifying attacks."
According to Merz, European leaders were jointly trying to steer the Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin "in the right direction".