Trump says he'll 'walk' if Putin meeting goes poorly during pivotal Alaska summit
Speaking exclusively Friday to Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier aboard Air Force One, Trump outlined what he's expecting from the meeting, and what would happen if it doesn't go his way.
"We're going for a meeting with President Putin in Alaska," Trump said while en route to the summit.
"And I think it's going to work out very well and if it doesn't, I'm going to head back home real fast," the president said.
The talks come as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to claim lives daily in the second year of the conflict. The summit is being held in Anchorage, Alaska, chosen as a midpoint between Washington and Moscow.
This is the first high-level summit between the United States and Russia since the start of the Ukraine war. It's also President Putin's first time on U.S. soil in nearly a decade.
When pressed by Baier to confirm his willingness to walk away if the negotiations sour, Trump didn't hesitate.
"I would walk, yeah," he said.
During a separate press gaggle aboard the flight, Trump warned of "very severe" consequences if Russia fails to show progress towards ending the war.
He also said additional sanctions would be put in place if the meeting failed to be productive. Still, the president voiced optimism about the outcome.
"I think we're going to do very well," Trump told Baier, before shifting to tout the country's economic strength.
"Our country is doing very well. We're setting records economically like we never have before, including stock markets at a record high. We're taking in trillions and trillions of dollars with tariffs."
Watch the full interview on "Special Report" tonight at 6 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel.
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