White House ‘considering inviting Zelensky to Alaska Summit with Trump & Putin' as Europe pushes for ‘alternative plan'
Trump and Putin are set to hold crunch talks over ending the war in Ukraine on Friday with sources close to the US President saying they are "very hopeful" that Ukraine's leader will be included.
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One senior administration official told NBC News that a trilateral meeting remains "absolutely" possible.
Another official briefed on White House conversations said: "It's being discussed."
It is believed that no official invite has been talked about with Kyiv as of yet.
A senior White House official explained: "Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin."
Zelensky has already been adamant that he must be involved in any peace talks as they directly impact on the future of his country.
Speaking overnight, the brave leader said any pact struck without Kyiv's involvement would be "stillborn decisions against peace" and would fail before they even began.
"Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace," he said.
"They will not achieve anything."
His powerful stance has now been echoed by European leaders.
Sir Keir Starmer and the leaders of France, Italy, Poland, Finland and the EU all issued a stark warning saying there can be no peace without Ukraine.
A strongly-worded statement read: "We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests.
"The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.
"We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.
"The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.
"We are united as Europeans and determined to jointly promote our interests."
European officials have also put forward an alternative proposal to help end the war, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It comes after reports suggested Washington and Moscow are eyeing a territorial "swap" agreement to end the war.
This would see both side concede to losing out ground to each other - a move which Russia would likely view as a triumph.
Zelensky is adamant that he will never allow for any territory to be claimed by Moscow due to the illegal conflict.
A potential three-way meeting with Zelensky, Trump and Putin would mark the first time the two war leaders have spoken since the conflict.
Zelensky has constantly asked to sit down with Putin in person in the past so he can remind the despot of his atrocities to his face.
But Putin has signalled reluctance on meeting Zelensky directly.
He recently said: "I have nothing against it in general… But certain conditions must be created for this.
"But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions."
The US president also dismissed claims that next week's historic summit hinges on a three-way meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.
Asked if Putin needed to meet Zelensky in order to meet him, Trump clarified: "No, he doesn't."
Despite that, the White House is preparing for the possible bilateral or trilateral summit.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed: "The White House is working through the details of these potential meetings… details will be provided at the appropriate time."
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