Trump boards flight to Alaska, says Putin ‘won't mess around' as Russian leader time-travels into second Friday
Hours before boarding, the US President said he believes Putin wants to make peace in Ukraine and will not 'mess around' when they meet today.
President @realDonaldTrump arrives at Air Force One 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9VUxdQJXHg
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) August 15, 2025
'And if it's a bad meeting, it'll end very quickly. And if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future,' he warned.
Trump, who has long argued the war 'should have never happened,' said that if he were not president, Putin 'would take over all of Ukraine.' He added: 'But I am President, and he's not going to mess around with me.'
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said Putin is 'a smart guy' and they 'get along,' with 'a good respect level on both sides,' adding, 'I thought something is going to come up.'
'I noticed he's bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that's good. I like that because they want to do business, but they're not doing business until we get the war stopped.'
On Russian attacks on Ukraine, Trump said he thinks Putin 'is trying to set a stage' that 'in his mind… helps him make a better deal,' but added, 'it actually hurts him, and I will be talking to him about it.'
Asked if talks would cover territorial issues, Trump said: 'They'll be discussed, but I've got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they'll make a proper decision, but I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I'm here to get them at a table. And I think you have two sides. Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine. If I wasn't president, he would, right now, be taking all of Ukraine, but he's not going to do it.'
On possible US security guarantees for Ukraine, he said: 'Maybe, along with Europe and other countries. Not in the form of Nato, because… there are certain things that aren't going to happen. But yeah, along with Europe, there's possibility …'
Confirming his earlier warning to Moscow, Trump said: 'Economically severe. It will be very severe. I'm not doing this for my health, okay, I don't need it. I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives. Yeah, very severe.'
'High stakes!' Trump posted on Truth Social before boarding his flight to Anchorage, where he will host Putin in what is being billed as a historic summit, the Russian leader's first visit to the West since the war began in February 2022.
Putin made a stop in Russia's far eastern city of Magadan on his way to Alaska for Friday's summit with Trump.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin's visit to Magadan is a 'full-fledged regional trip,' including a tour of an industrial plant and talks with the regional governor.
'The city is important. Putin has been there many times, even when he was prime minister,' Peskov told state news agency TASS.
The journey from Moscow to Magadan takes roughly eight hours, followed by another four-hour flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where the high-stakes meeting will be held.
Because of the time zones he will cross, Putin will, in effect, experience two Fridays — one in Magadan and the other in Alaska.
The US delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Joining Putin on the Russian side are Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Russian Direct Investment Fund chief Kirill Dmitriev, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
Zelenskyy posted on social media that he expects a report from Ukrainian intelligence today 'on the current intentions of the Russian side and its preparations for the meeting in Alaska.'
I held a Staff meeting to discuss three key issues.
The front, particularly the Pokrovsk sector. We are countering the attempts of Russian forces to gain a foothold and increasing the pressure of our units on the occupier. We are succeeding. Units of the 79th and 82nd Air…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 15, 2025
Responding to Trump's earlier remarks, he said: 'Indeed, high stakes. 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.'
(With inputs from The Guardian, CNN, Reuters and Associated Press)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
10 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump administration wants to end U.N. peacekeeping in Lebanon; Europe pushing back
The future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon has split the United States and its European allies, raising implications for security in the Middle East and becoming the latest snag to vex relations between the U.S. and key partners like France, Britain and Italy. At issue is the peacekeeping operation known as UNIFIL, whose mandate expires at the end of August and will need to be renewed by the U.N. Security Council to continue. It was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel's 1978 invasion, and its mission was expanded following the month-long 2006 war between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah. The multinational force has played a significant role in monitoring the security situation in southern Lebanon for decades, including during the Israel-Hezbollah war last year, but has drawn criticism from both sides and numerous U.S. lawmakers, some of whom now hold prominent roles in President Donald Trump's administration or wield new influence with the White House. Trump administration political appointees came into office this year with the aim of shutting down UNIFIL as soon as possible. They regard the operation as an ineffectual waste of money that is merely delaying the goal of eliminating Hezbollah's influence and restoring full security control to the Lebanese Armed Forces that the government says it is not yet capable of doing. After securing major cuts in U.S. funding to the peacekeeping force, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed off early last week on a plan that would wind down and end UNIFIL in the next six months, according to Trump administration officials and congressional aides familiar with the discussions. It's another step as the Trump administration drastically pares back its foreign affairs priorities and budget, including expressing scepticism of international alliances and cutting funding to U.N. agencies and missions. The transatlantic divide also has been apparent on issues ranging from Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine conflict to trade, technology and free speech issues. Europeans push back against a quick end to U.N. peacekeeping in Lebanon Israel has for years sought an end to UNIFIL's mandate, and renewal votes have often come after weeks of political wrangling. Now, the stakes are particularly high after last year's war and more vigorous opposition in Washington. European nations, notably France and Italy, have objected to winding down UNIFIL. With the support of Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkiye and envoy to Lebanon, they successfully lobbied Rubio and others to support a one-year extension of the peacekeeping mandate followed by a time-certain wind-down period of six months, according to the administration officials and congressional aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic negotiations. Israel also reluctantly agreed to an extension, they said. The European argument was that prematurely ending UNIFIL before the Lebanese army is able to fully secure the border area would create a vacuum that Hezbollah could easily exploit. The French noted that when a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali was terminated before government troops were ready to deal with security threats, Islamic extremists moved in. With the U.S. easing off, the issue ahead of the U.N. vote expected at the end of August now appears to be resistance by France and others to setting a firm deadline for the operation to end after the one-year extension, according to the officials and congressional aides. French officials did not respond to requests for comment The final French draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, does not include a date for UNIFIL's withdrawal, which U.S. officials say is required for their support. Instead, it would extend the peacekeeping mission for one year and indicates the U.N. Security Council's 'intention to work on a withdrawal.' But even if the mandate is renewed, the peacekeeping mission might be scaled down for financial reasons, with the U.N. system likely facing drastic budget cuts, said a U.N. official, who was not authorised to comment to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. One of the U.S. officials said an option being considered was reducing UNIFIL's numbers while boosting its technological means to monitor the situation on the ground. The peacekeeping force has faced criticism There are about 10,000 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, while the Lebanese army has around 6,000 soldiers, a number that is supposed to increase to 10,000. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon have frequently accused the U.N. mission of collusion with Israel and sometimes attacked peacekeepers on patrol. Israel, meanwhile, has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah's military activities in southern Lebanon and lobbied for its mandate to end. Sarit Zehavi, a former Israeli military intelligence analyst and founder of the Israeli think tank Alma Research and Education Center, said UNIFIL has played a 'damaging role with regard to the mission of disarming Hezbollah in south Lebanon.' She pointed to the discovery of Hezbollah tunnels and weapons caches close to UNIFIL facilities during and after last year's Israel-Hezbollah war, when much of the militant group's senior leadership was killed and much of its arsenal destroyed. Hezbollah is now under increasing pressure to give up the rest of its weapons. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said UNIFIL continues to discover unauthorised weapons, including rocket launchers, mortar rounds and bomb fuses, this week, which it reported to the Lebanese army. Under the U.S.- and France-brokered ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army taking control in conjunction with UNIFIL. Israel has continued to occupy five strategic points on the Lebanese side and carry out near-daily airstrikes that it says aim to stop Hezbollah from regrouping. Lebanon supports keeping U.N. peacekeepers Lebanese officials have called for UNIFIL to remain, saying the country's cash-strapped and overstretched army is not yet able to patrol the full area on its own until it. Retired Lebanese Army Gen. Khalil Helou said that if UNIFIL's mandate were to abruptly end, soldiers would need to be pulled away from the porous border with Syria, where smuggling is rife, or from other areas inside of Lebanon — 'and this could have consequences for the stability' of the country. UNIFIL 'is maybe not fulfilling 100% what the Western powers or Israel desire. But for Lebanon, their presence is important,' he said. The United Nations also calls the peacekeepers critical to regional stability, Mr. Dujarric said. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said deciding on the renewal of the mandate is the prerogative of the U.N. Security Council. 'We are here to assist the parties in implementation of the mission's mandate and we're waiting for the final decision,' he said.
Time of India
10 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump says no imminent plans to penalise China for buying Russian oil
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he did not immediately need to consider retaliatory tariffs on countries such as China for buying Russian oil but might have to "in two or three weeks." Trump has threatened sanctions on Moscow and secondary sanctions on countries that buy its oil if no moves are made to end the war in Ukraine. China and India are the top two buyers of Russian oil. The president last week imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing its continued imports of Russian oil. However, Trump has not taken similar action against China. He was asked by Fox News' Sean Hannity if he was now considering such action against Beijing after he and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce an agreement to resolve or pause Moscow's war in Ukraine. "Well, because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that," Trump said after his summit with Putin in Alaska. "Now, I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now. I think, you know, the meeting went very well." Chinese President Xi Jinping's slowing economy will suffer if Trump follows through on a promise to ramp up Russia-related sanctions and tariffs. Xi and Trump are working on a trade deal that could lower tensions - and import taxes - between the world's two biggest economies. But China could be the biggest remaining target, outside of Russia, if Trump ramps up punitive measures.
NDTV
10 minutes ago
- NDTV
Germany Proposes Trump-Putin-Zelensky Trilateral Meet To Be Held In Europe
A three-way summit US President Donald Trump has mooted with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin could take place in Europe, Germany's leader suggested on Saturday. "I think that such a three-way meeting will take place," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview with TV networks NTV and RTL, according to an advance transcript AFP obtained. "The date and place are still to be worked out. We have proposed that a place could be found in Europe," he said. Trump, in the wake of his Friday summit with Putin in Alaska to speak about Ukraine, said he and European leaders wanted to see another summit take place, this time with a seat at the table for Zelensky. After his talk with Putin failed to make headway on a ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump shifted his stance to say was now keen on securing a full peace agreement. One challenge for Putin to step foot in Europe is that there is an International Criminal Court arrest warrant out for him over the alleged mass abduction of Ukrainian children during the war. wThe United States is not a party to the ICC, and Hungary -- an EU country ruled by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is friendly with both Trump and Putin -- is in the process of withdrawing from the ICC's founding treaty. Merz suggested that a European venue for the possible summit "should maybe be a place where discussions might take place on a permanent basis", but he did not specify any country or city. "Those are detailed issues. They will only be clarified in coming days, or even coming weeks," he said.
