US President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a historic summit Friday in Alaska
, Fox News reports.
The president will travel to Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday morning for the meeting, which is somewhat equidistant from both Washington, D.C., and Moscow. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.
The high-stakes meeting is the first U.S.-Russia summit since June 2021, which was under former President Joe Biden’s administration. That summit came just eight months before Putin invaded Ukraine.
Trump has described the talks as a "feel-out meeting," and has made clear that his top priority will be to determine whether a ceasefire in Ukraine is possible. Trump predicted earlier this week that he would be able to make that determination within the first "two minutes."
"I’m not going to make a deal. It’s not up to me to make a deal," Trump said. "I think a deal should be made for both (Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy)."
"I’d like to see a ceasefire," Trump continued. "I’d like to see the best deal that could be made for both parties. You know, it takes two to tango."
However, the president threatened "very severe consequences" for Russia if Putin does not agree to end the war after Friday’s meeting. Additionally, while all eyes are on the summit between Trump and Putin, Trump said "the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we’re having."
"We’re going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, myself, and maybe we’ll bring some of the European leaders — maybe not … It’s going to be very important."
"We’re going to see what happens," Trump continued. "And I think President Putin will make peace."
The day before the summit, Trump predicted that his meeting with Putin had a 25% chance of failing outright, but he said the hope is to push for a second meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"This meeting sets up the second meeting," Trump told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade, adding that the second meeting would be "extremely important," and hinted that there would likely be negotiations over land swaps, a notion Zelenskyy has opposed.
