Potential Meeting in Alaska
The White House is contemplating an invitation for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to join a significant meeting next week in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Officials are currently discussing the possibility of Zelensky’s inclusion as the two leaders prepare to meet for yet another attempt to address the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Moscow, which has been ongoing for 41 months. Insights emerged from senior White House sources on Friday.
“It’s under consideration,” one individual mentioned about the discussions taking place.
While the visit isn’t confirmed, an official indicated that the Ukrainian leader might indeed travel to Alaska for this critical summit.
“There’s a lot of hope that it will take place,” the official shared with the news outlet.
It’s uncertain whether Zelensky would be in the same room as the Russian leaders if he were to go to Alaska, an insider revealed.
On Friday, Trump announced plans to meet with the Kremlin in pursuit of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
This meeting would mark the first bilateral US-Russian summit since Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva back in June 2021.
Additionally, it would be the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Russian leaders since their encounter at the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019.
“It could have happened earlier, but, you know, there are security arrangements that need to be sorted out,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.
“If not for that, I would have done it sooner. I think he’d want to see him as soon as possible, and I agree with that.”
Trump’s comments seemed to diverge from earlier statements made by White House officials, who suggested that Zelensky might be open to meeting Putin before being involved in discussions. However, the White House clarified that no such plans were actually in place.
“The president is open to a trilateral summit with both leaders,” the White House stated in response to inquiries.
“For now, the focus is on the bilateral meetings requested by President Putin.”
The White House didn’t immediately comment on further requests for information.
