(NewsNation) — The world is watching as Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin make their way to Alaska for a high-stakes summit regarding Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine.
Trump has said the goal of the meeting is to get Putin to commit to stopping the fighting, but he was unsure whether Friday’s face-to-face talk in Anchorage would lead to a ceasefire. On Thursday, he said there is a “25% chance” the summit won’t be successful.
Both leaders and their representatives are set to meet at 3:30 p.m. EDT at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a U.S. military installation located roughly equidistant — about 4,300 miles — from Moscow and Washington, D.C.
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Trump, who is expected to be accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, said Friday’s meeting, depending on its outcome, may lead to a second meeting that includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
While Trump seemed to be scaling back hopes for Friday’s meeting, Russian officials have remained tight-lipped about their expectations.
“We never make predictions in advance. We know we have arguments and a clear, well-defined position. We will present it. A lot has already been done during Steven Witkoff’s visits … I hope that today, tomorrow, we will continue this very useful conversation,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement.
Friday’s meeting marks the first time Putin has stepped on U.S. soil in nearly 10 years.
Ukraine on sidelines of Trump-Putin meeting
Although Ukraine is on the outside looking in for Friday’s talks, Zelenskyy has reiterated the U.S. must not reward Russia for its invasion of Ukraine — and emphasized his country will not part ways with any territory.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Zelensky understands that territorial concessions may be required to get a durable peace,” said John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
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Zelenskyy also expressed fears that Putin is attempting to deceive Trump and is using the trip as a photo-op. In the lead-up to Friday’s peace talks, Putin and other Russian officials have maintained their demands, which include Ukraine ceding territory and demilitarizing.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz and Damita Menezes contributed to this report.
