Won’t be happy if Russia-Ukraine ceasefire fails today: Trump before Alaska meet

The countdown is on for one of the most closely watched diplomatic showdowns in years. Hours from now, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will come face-to-face in Alaska for high-stakes talks that could reshape the course of the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump, speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One on Friday, declared he wanted a ceasefire “today,” vowing he “won’t be happy” with anything less as he set off for the Cold War-era airbase where history may be made.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the talks, and European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by freezing the conflict and informally recognising Russian control over one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Trump sought to allay concerns as he boarded Air Force One. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get them at a table,” he said, adding that Ukraine would decide on any possible territorial swaps.

The US and Russian presidents are scheduled to meet at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska’s largest city at around 11 am local time for their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House. Trump hopes securing a truce in the



3-1/2-year-old war will strengthen his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev described the pre-summit atmosphere as “combative,” saying the leaders would discuss Ukraine and the full range of bilateral relations, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.

Trump has said that if Friday’s talks went well, arranging a second, three-way summit with Zelenskyy would be “even more important” than his meeting with Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a three-way summit could be possible if the Alaska talks were productive, adding that Friday’s meeting could last six to seven hours with aides joining what was initially expected to be one-on-one discussions.

Zelenskyy said the summit should pave the way for a “just peace” and three-way talks including him, but stressed that Russia was still waging war on Friday. A Russian ballistic missile struck Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region earlier in the day, killing one person and wounding another.

“It’s time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.