"I think he's totally convinced he's going to get a deal. I think he will. We'll know soon", former US President Donald Trump said in an interview on Fox News Radio today, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in person in Alaska on 15/8, their first meeting since June 2021. According to the Kremlin, in addition to focusing on the Ukraine issue, the two leaders will also discuss security and international matters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not be present.
"The Alaska meeting is in preparation for a second meeting. The second meeting will be very, very important because that's where they make the deal. I don't want to use the word 'dividing it up', but at some level, it's not a bad term, right?", Trump said.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and former US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP |
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and former US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
Trump said he has considered three possible locations for a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts. He affirmed that he would not intervene, allowing the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to negotiate an agreement themselves, while noting that a second meeting might not occur.
"Depending on what happens at the meeting, I will call President Zelensky and invite him to the location where we will hold the meeting", Trump said, adding that the probability of the US-Russia summit failing is about 25%.
The Kremlin has not commented on the information. President Putin previously stated his willingness to meet with President Zelensky, but emphasized that the time is not yet ripe.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy advisor, said the Trump-Putin meeting is scheduled to begin at 11:30 on 15/8 (2:30 Hanoi time on 16/8) at a facility within Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city.
The two leaders will meet one-on-one, with only interpreters present. Russian officials today warned that it would be a "big mistake" to predict the outcome of the meeting. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the two sides have no plans to sign any documents after the event.
Nhu Tam (Reuters, AFP)
