"I will speak with President Vladimir Putin and say 'you have to end this war'," former US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on 11/8/2025. "I think we will have constructive discussions," he added.
Trump said he plans to explore Putin's conditions for peace, then speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders immediately after the meeting. He wants to see "a very quick ceasefire" but won't unilaterally propose an agreement for the two sides. "It's not for me to decide," he affirmed.
According to Trump, both Russia and Ukraine will need to make territorial concessions to end the conflict. "There will be exchanges, there will be changes in land," he said.
"This is really an exploratory meeting," Trump commented on the summit with Putin, adding that "maybe the first two minutes of the meeting" will reveal whether progress can be made.
"I can leave and say 'good luck', and that's it. I can say 'this can't be resolved'," Trump warned of the possibility of the US abandoning its mediating role.
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Former President Donald Trump at a press conference at the White House on 11/8/2025. Photo: AFP |
Former President Donald Trump at a press conference at the White House on 11/8/2025. Photo: AFP
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on 15/8, in an effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war that has lasted for over three years. This is the first meeting between the US and Russian leaders since June 2021, when Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva, Switzerland.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov expressed hope on 11/8 that the meeting would create momentum for the two sides to normalize diplomatic relations.
President Zelensky stated last week that any decision made without Ukraine's involvement would not bring peace, while rejecting the possibility of Kyiv ceding territory.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on 11/8 that he had spoken with US Senator Marco Rubio and posted on X that lasting peace requires "an unconditional ceasefire as a prerequisite for substantive negotiations".
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) announced it would develop a new sanctions package targeting Russia, urging no concessions to Moscow and stating that Brussels would increase financial and military support for Kyiv.
Nhu Tam (AFP, Reuters)
