"I will let Ukraine make that decision", says Trump on territorial swap talks with Russia
Trump made this statement while en route to Alaska, where the high-stakes summit is expected to focus on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump reiterated that he is not negotiating on behalf of Ukraine, but rather aiming to bring the parties to the negotiating table.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Friday summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Trump said, "They will be discussed, but I will let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they will make a proper decision. But I am not here to negotiate for Ukraine; I am here to get them to a table. And I think you have two sides. Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine. If I weren't the President, he would right now be taking all of Ukraine. But he is not going to do it."
His comments came shortly after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Anchorage wearing a white T-shirt with "CCCP," the Soviet Union's abbreviation, a move widely seen as a symbolic message about Moscow's hardline negotiating stance.
Trump also commented on Putin's delegation, noting the presence of Russian business leaders and also sent a message that the US is not going to do business with Russia until the war is over.
"Putin is a smart guy. I have noticed he is bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that's good. I like that because I want to do business. But we are not doing business until the war is over. We have the world's hottest country, and our economy is also the hottest, having set a new stock market record again. We have hundreds of billions of dollars flowing from tariffs."
He futher said that Russia is not doing very well economically, so they might come to a decision.
"He [Putin] wants peace with that, because his country is not hot economically, and China is also not doing well economically. I want everybody to do well. The war's got to stop, and the killings have got to stop," said Trump.
On Russia's continued military attacks in Ukraine Trump defended Putin saying that it hurt him., Trump said, "They are trying to negotiate. He is trying to create a mental framework that helps him make a better deal. It hurts him, but in his mind, it helps him make a better deal if they can continue the killings. Maybe it's his part of the world, maybe it's just his fabric, his genes, his genetics, but he thinks it gives him strength to negotiate. I think it hurts him, but I will be talking to him about it."
Trump also warned Putin of "economically severe" consequences if he shows no interest in ending the war in Ukraine. This comes as European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been pressuring Trump to take a strong stance against Russia.
Trump ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, suggesting instead that security guarantees could be provided "along with Europe and other countries".
When asked if the US could offer security guarantees to Ukraine, Trump replied, "Along with Europe and other countries, not in the form of NATO, you know certain things are not going to happen, but yeah, along with Europe, there is a possibility".
Trump has vowed to "end the Ukraine war quickly," while Putin is seeking recognition of Russia's territorial gains and relief from Western sanctions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to surrender territory and hasn't been invited to the summit.
As per the White House, several officials are travelling with the US President aboard Air Force One. They include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Ambassador Steve Witkoff, amongst others.
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