Trump eyes three-way meeting with Putin, Zelensky
Trump spoke after what he described as a "very good" call with European leaders, including Zelensky -- even as Russian forces made their biggest advance into his country in more than a year.
"If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one," Trump told reporters as he was questioned about the face-to-face in Anchorage with his Russian counterpart, set for Friday.
"I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they'd like to have me there."
The high-stakes summit comes with Trump struggling to broker an end to the conflict, and Zelensky and his European allies earlier urged the Republican to push for a ceasefire.
The stepped-up Russian offensive, and the fact Zelensky has not been invited to Anchorage, have heightened fears that Trump and Putin could strike a deal that forces painful concessions from Ukraine.
The US leader promised dozens of times during his 2024 election campaign to end the conflict on his first day in office but has made scant progress towards securing a peace deal.
He threatened "secondary sanctions" on Russia's trading partners but his deadline for action came and went last week with no measures announced.
According to an AFP analysis of battlefield data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces made their biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in more than a year on Tuesday.
As the war rages on in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky flew to Berlin and joined Chancellor Friedrich Merz on an online call with other European leaders, and the NATO and EU chiefs, in which they talked to Trump and urged a united stance against Russia.
'Severe consequences'
The consensus was for Trump to secure a ceasefire, and Trump said Russia would face "severe consequences" if it didn't halt its offensive.
But Zelensky also voiced doubt about Moscow's intentions and said: "I have told my colleagues -- the US president and our European friends -- that Putin definitely does not want peace."
Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected "constructive conversations" with Putin.
"This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit," Trump said. But he added that eventually "there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land".
Merz said Ukraine is ready to negotiate "on territorial issues" but stressed that legal recognition of Russian occupations "would not be up for debate".
After the call, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Europe, the United States and NATO had "strengthened the common ground for Ukraine" while NATO head Mark Rutte declared: "The ball is now in Putin's court."
The Russian foreign ministry had earlier branded the frantic round of diplomacy "politically and practically insignificant" and an attempt at "sabotaging" US and Russian efforts to end the conflict.
'Wool over our eyes'
Despite the upbeat comments by European leaders, Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine was gaining speed and seizing ground Wednesday.
With the world's eyes on the looming Alaska summit, Russia has made rapid advances this week in a narrow but important section of the front line in Ukraine.
The AFP data analysis showed that the Russian army took or claimed 110 square kilometers (42.5 square miles) on August 12 compared to the previous day. It was the most since late May 2024.
In recent months, Moscow has typically taken five or six days to progress at such a pace, although Russian advances have accelerated in recent weeks.
The head of the Donetsk region on Wednesday ordered civilians with children to evacuate from towns and villages under threat.
Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk, an eastern city about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front, said they had low expectations for Trump's meeting with Putin.
Artem, a 30-year-old serviceman, said the war would likely continue for "a long time."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
an hour ago
- Roya News
Trump, Putin to meet in Alaska; US state once bought from Russia
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday, August 15, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. Trump announced the meeting on social media, while the Kremlin confirmed the date, noting that Alaska was a 'logical' choice given its relative proximity to Russia. Alaska's connection to Russia runs deeper than geography, the vast state was once Russian territory before being sold to the United States in a historic deal that reshaped the region. From Russian land to US state Russian control over Alaska dates back to the 18th century, when an expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, commissioned by Russian Tsar Peter the Great, discovered that the new land was not connected to Russia. The discovery of valuable sea otter fur opened the door to a lucrative fur trade, and the first Russian settlement in the region was established in 1784. Decades later, with sea otter populations nearing extinction and political fallout from the Crimean War, Russia became willing to sell Alaska. In 1867, then-US Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase for $7.2 million. On October 18 of that year, the American flag was raised in Sitka, then the capital of Alaska, a day now celebrated annually as Alaska Day. Although the deal was initially mocked as 'Seward's Folly,' the later discovery of gold proved its strategic value. After a long path to statehood, Alaska officially became the 49th US state in 1959. The black gold that transformed Alaska Alaska's economy underwent a dramatic transformation in 1968 with the discovery of a massive oil field in Prudhoe Bay, estimated to hold around 13 billion barrels of reserves. Oil and gas quickly became the state's leading industry. In 1969 alone, Alaska earned $900 million from leasing land to oil companies. A major pipeline was built to transport crude oil across the state, forever changing its economic landscape. A lasting legacy: The Alaska Permanent Fund Recognizing that oil revenues would not last forever, then-Governor Jay Hammond established the Alaska Permanent Fund in 1976, setting aside a quarter of the state's oil royalties for future generations. Today, the fund is valued at over $65 billion. One of its most distinctive features is the Permanent Fund Dividend Program, launched in 1982, which distributes a portion of the fund's earnings annually to every Alaska resident who has lived there for at least a year. This program has helped lift between 15,000 and 25,000 people out of extreme poverty each year and regularly injects money into the local economy. Facts and figures about 'The Great Land'
Ammon
7 hours ago
- Ammon
Trump may visit Israel, says White House
Ammon News - White House sources say that if the conditions are right, US President Donald Trump may visit Israel next month, before his planned visit to the United Kingdom. "The president is going to visit Britain in September, and it's possible he'll stop in Israel, but it's not certain and not yet certain," an American source told Ynet newspaper, noting: "It depends on developments, of course." An Israeli source confirmed his words, saying, "There are indeed speculations about a Trump visit, but there's nothing concrete yet. It's something that's up in the air." Trump is expected to visit Britain at the invitation of King Charles on September 17-19. The White House is currently exploring the possibility of the president visiting Israel before then – but that depends on developments in talks on a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza. Trump would like to visit Israel if the negotiations are successful.
Al Bawaba
10 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
Brazil rolls out $1billion 'sovereign Brazil' plan to counter U.S. tariff offensive
ALBAWABA- Brazil has announced a $1 billion plan to shield its exporters from the impact of new 50% U.S. tariffs on a range of Brazilian products. The initiative, dubbed 'Sovereign Brazil' and unveiled Wednesday, includes tax deferrals, expanded credit lines, and measures to redirect goods to domestic buyers. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called the plan 'a first step' to support local exporters, noting it will be sent to Congress for approval. Brazil's government on Wednesday rolled out a long-awaited relief package including 30 billion reais ($5.6 billion) in credit to support local companies hit by US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs — Bloomberg (@business) August 13, 2025 The package includes BRL 5.5 billion ($1 billion) in credit facilities, BRL 5 billion in postponed tax payments, BRL 930 million ($186 million) in loans for SMEs through 2026, and expanded insurance coverage for cancelled export orders. Trade tensions escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed the steep tariffs, linking them to demands that Brazil's Supreme Court drop charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro over his alleged role in a 2022 coup attempt. Finance Minister Fernando Haddad revealed that a scheduled meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant was abruptly canceled, with no new date set. Meanwhile, Brazil has formally requested consultations at the World Trade Organization to challenge the U.S. action. Lula vowed to use 'all available resources' to defend Brazil's trade interests, but said he would not call Trump, citing a lack of willingness for dialogue. He described the tariff decision as 'the most regrettable day' in recent U.S.-Brazil relations. The tariffs are part of a wider Trump trade strategy imposing 10%–50% duties on dozens of countries, testing U.S. efforts to shrink its trade deficit without severely disrupting supply chains or inflaming inflation.
