US President Donald Trump said he expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to arrive at their meeting in Alaska on Friday with concrete proposals to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters on Monday at the White House, Trump said it would only take him “a couple of minutes” to determine whether a deal is possible.

“At the end of that meeting, probably the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” Trump said. He added that if Putin’s proposals are serious, he will pass them on to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with a recommendation to either make peace or “keep fighting.”

Trump described the upcoming meeting as “really a feel-out meeting” and said it could go either way. “It’ll be good, but it might be bad,” he said. “I may say, lots of luck, keep fighting. Or I may say, we can make a deal.”

UKRAINE FEARS DEAL WITHOUT ITS CONSENT MAY FAVOR MOSCOW

Putin, eager to cement Russia’s territorial gains since the February 2022 invasion, is expected to press for a ceasefire on terms Kyiv and its European allies have long resisted. Trump has signalled openness to ideas — including land swaps — that could alarm Ukraine, where leaders fear any agreement made without them would tilt toward Moscow’s interests.

Trump sidestepped repeated questions about whether he would insist on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation. “He’s been to a lot of meetings” without stopping the war, Trump said, contrasting the wartime leader’s record with Putin’s decades in power.

However, the US president left the door open to involving Kyiv later. “The next meeting will be with Zelenskyy and Putin,” he said. “Or Putin and Zelenskyy and me.” He promised to call both Zelenskyy and European leaders after the Alaska talks to brief them — but stressed, “I’m not going to make a deal. It’s not up to me to make a deal.”

“President Putin invited me to get involved,” Trump said, calling it “very respectful” that the Russian leader would come to US soil. “I’d like to see a ceasefire. I’d like to see the best deal that can be made for both parties.”

Putin is expected to hold firm on keeping occupied territory and blocking Ukraine’s NATO membership. Zelenskyy insists Ukraine will not surrender land. On the front lines, fighting grinds on along a 1,000-kilometre front, with little sign of an end in sight.

– Ends

With inputs from Associated Press