US President Donald Trump announced that he will attempt to reclaim some territory for Ukraine during his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
"Russia has occupied a significant part of Ukraine, including key areas. We will try to recover some of that land for Ukraine," he stated during a press conference at the White House.
He and the Russian leader are scheduled to talk in Alaska later this week. Trump mentioned that he could determine within two minutes of meeting Putin whether any progress could be made.
He described Friday's meeting as a "feel-out meeting," focused on persuading Putin to cease hostilities—indicating that he perceives the summit as merely a preliminary encounter.
Trump once again cautioned that there may be "some swapping, changes in land" between Russia and Ukraine.
This is not the first occasion he has mentioned the term "land-swapping," although it remains uncertain what territory Russia could give up to Ukraine. Kyiv has never claimed any territories belonging to Russia.
Trump stated he would inform European leaders if Putin proposes a "fair deal" during the discussions, indicating he would first speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky "out of respect."
"I'll call him first... after that, I might say, 'good luck, keep fighting,' or I might say, 'we can reach a deal'," he remarked.
Trump also noted that while he and Zelensky "have a good rapport," he "strongly disagrees with what [the Ukrainian president] has done." Previously, Trump has held Zelensky responsible for the war in Ukraine, which escalated after Russia's large-scale invasion in February 2022.
He mentioned that a potential future meeting could involve Zelensky and could be a trilateral discussion with himself and Putin.
Kaja Kallas, the European Commission’s vice-president, informed the BBC that Putin aims to take a "traditional approach of...let's divide the territories and spheres of influence" in his conversations with Trump.
However, she emphasized that Europe has made it clear that it will not accept any agreement that Ukraine has not consented to.
"If Ukraine is not involved in the agreement, such an accord will simply not be executed, which is why it is essential for Ukraine to be included in the discussions," she mentioned, expressing hope that Zelensky would be part of the meeting.
The Kremlin has consistently downplayed the prospects of a gathering with Zelensky, with Putin recently reiterating that the prerequisites to meet the Ukrainian president remain distant.
Trump declared the meeting with Putin last Friday—the same day he set a personal deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face heightened U.S. sanctions.
Reacting to the announcement of the Alaska summit, Zelensky stated that any agreements made without Kyiv’s involvement would be deemed "dead decisions."
On Monday, he referenced a report from Ukraine's intelligence agency, indicating there was no indication that Russia was getting ready to cease hostilities in Ukraine.
Zelensky is anticipated to take part in a virtual meeting with Trump, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, and EU leaders on Wednesday.
A spokesman for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that he had invited the leaders, along with EU and NATO heads, to discuss strategies for pressuring Moscow ahead of Trump's meeting with Putin.
During a Monday phone conversation, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed that any peace agreement "must be developed with Ukraine—not forced upon it," according to a spokesperson from Downing Street.
The two leaders will "continue to collaborate closely" with both Trump and Zelensky "in the upcoming days," they stated.
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