White House weighs inviting Zelensky to Trump's face-to-face meeting with Putin in Alaska
Discussions are underway about including Zelensky as the two world leaders prepare to meet in person on Friday in another bid to end Moscow's 41-month-old invasion of Ukraine, senior White House officials and insiders told NBC News Saturday.
'It's being discussed,' said one person briefed on the internal talks.
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4 President Trump told reporters Friday he will meet with the Russian President as he seeks a ceasefire in Ukraine.
REUTERS
While no visit has been finalized, a senior official said it's 'absolutely' possible the Kyiv leader could travel to the Last Frontier state for the pivotal summit.
'Everyone is very hopeful that would happen,' the official told the outlet.
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If Zelensky is invited to Alaska, it's unclear whether the warring leaders would share the same room, an insider told NBC.
Trump announced Friday plans to meet with the Kremlin as he seeks a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The meeting would be the first US-Russian bilateral summit since former President Joe Biden met Putin at Geneve, Switzerland in June 2021.
4 The White House is mulling whether to invite the Ukrainian leader to the bilateral summit in Alaska.
AFP via Getty Images
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It also marks the first in-person encounter between Trump and the Russian ruler since 2019, when the duo met on the sidelines of the G-210 summit in Osaka, Japan.
'It would have been sooner, but I guess there's security arrangements that unfortunately people have to make,' Trump told reporters at the White House Friday, acknowledging a potential proposal will include 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of both' war-torn nations.
'Otherwise I'd do it much quicker, He would, too. He'd like to meet as soon as possible, I agree with it.'
4 Friday's face-to-face will be the first time Trump and Putin have met in person since 2019.
REUTERS
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The president had suggested a day earlier he'd be willing to meet Putin face-to-face before involving Zelensky in talks, contradicting earlier statements from White House officials to The Post.
But the White House confirmed no such plans have been made.
4 Senior White House officials are hopeful Zelensky will join the highly anticipated meeting.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images
'The President remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders,' the White House said in a statement to the outlet.
'Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin.'
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
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