Zelensky claims Putin has won ‘personal victory'
Trump is set to host Putin for talks in Alaska on Friday. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Zelensky claimed the meeting marks the end of Russia's 'international isolation' over the Ukraine conflict.
'Putin will meet Trump on US soil, and I consider this his personal victory,' Zelensky said. He added that Moscow has also managed to 'get sanctions delayed,' apparently referring to a ten-day ultimatum issued by Trump to Russia in late July.
The US president announced the 'highly anticipated meeting' with Putin last week, revealing it will take place in Alaska. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that the city of Anchorage will host the summit, and while the exact venue has not been named, media reports have suggested it will be the Elmendorf-Richardson military base.
Both Washington and Moscow have been cautious about expectations, signaling the summit is likely to be the first top-level event in a string of talks rather than result in an immediate breakthrough. The talks are expected to focus on the Ukraine conflict as well as a broader range of bilateral Russia-US issues.
'We hope that the forthcoming high-level meeting will give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations, which will allow us to move forward on several issues,' Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said this week.
The White House has also appeared to downplay expectations, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying it would be 'a listening exercise' for Trump.
'Look, only one party that's involved in this war is going to be present, and so this is for the president to go and to get, again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end,' Leavitt said on Tuesday.
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