Trump-Putin latest: Don & Vlad will hold ‘three-on-three' meeting in 11th-hour change as US president lands in Alaska
TIME FOR PEACE Trump-Putin latest: Don & Vlad will hold 'three-on-three' meeting in 11th-hour change as US president lands in Alaska
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DONALD Trump will be joined by Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff in what will now be a three-on-three meeting with Putin.
It comes as Trump's Air Force One landed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for the historic peace summit that could decide the fate of the Ukraine war.
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Air Force One is seen on the tarmac after US President Donald Trump landed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska
Credit: AFP
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Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One to head to Alaska
Credit: Getty
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Zelensky said he expects his intelligence team to brief him on the talks between Washington and Moscow
Credit: Getty
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Putin is also on his way to Alaska to hold crucial war talks with Trump
Credit: Reuters
Trump, instead of a previously planned one-on-one meeting, will now be flanked by Rubio and Witkoff, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed.
Putin, on the other hand, is also expected to bring two of his top diplomats, who are likely to include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Volodymyr Zelensky said he is "counting on America" as Trump and Putin prepare to meet for crunch talks.
He said he hopes the peace summit between the two leaders leads to a trilateral meeting to get Ukraine involved in the peacemaking process.
In a lengthy post on X, wrote: "The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side.
"It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America.
"We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible."
It comes after Trump blasted Vladimir Putin for continuing to attack Ukraine and said his urge to kill "might be in his genes".
The high-stakes talks could last up to seven hours, the Kremlin said earlier.
Meanwhile, people in Anchorage are protesting about Putin being allowed to set foot on US soil due to him facing an arrest warrant over war crime allegations.
Many are demanding that the conflict in Ukraine come to an end due to the barbaric killing of innocent civilians every day.
Trump echoed some of the protesters' thoughts as he spoke to reporters ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with Putin in six years.
Trump says tyrant Putin's need to kill 'might be in his genes' but onslaught 'hurts his negotiations' as leaders head to Alaska for Ukraine peace summit
He said: "In [Putin's] mind, it helps him make a better deal if they can continue the killing.
"Maybe it's a part of the world, maybe it's a part of his fabric, his genes, his genetics, but he thinks it gives him strength in negotiating.
"I think it hurts him."
Trump also warned that Russia faces "very severe" consequences if Putin doesn't appear interested in agreeing to a peace deal during the summit.
Don has voiced concerns over how Putin may behave during the talks already, as he described the summit as being like a chess game.
Trump reiterated these thoughts as he took to Truth Social shortly before he left Washington to simply say: "HIGH STAKES!!!"
Russia's huge delegation started its journey across to the US earlier today as it sped through the shabby streets of Magadan.
Putin is expected to board a jet to Alaska later and complete the trip to the 49th state.
Trump will officially greet Putin before the peace talks start at around 8:30pm UK time.
Read our live blog for the latest on the Trump and Putin peace talks...
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