"Not here to negotiate for Ukraine": Trump aboard flight to meet Putin

US President Donald Trump flew to Alaska on Friday for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a summit described by both sides as potentially decisive for the future of Ukraine and European security. Ahead of his departure, Trump posted “HIGH STAKES!” on his social media platform Truth Social. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said his mission was to bring Putin to the negotiating table, not to bargain on behalf of Ukraine. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine,” he said, adding that discussions would include the issue of land exchanges but that the final decision rested with Kyiv. Trump warned that Russia would face “severe economic consequences” if no agreement was reached. “Putin believes that his continuous attacks give him strength in negotiations, but I think that hurts him. I think we will achieve some result at the summit. I am working to end the war to save lives,” he said.

While Trump was en route to Anchorage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media urging Washington to press Moscow to halt its “invasion.” “It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelensky wrote. The US delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, among others. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the talks could last six to seven hours, beginning with a session between the two leaders accompanied by advisers, followed by broader delegation-level discussions. The meeting in Anchorage marks Putin’s first visit to the West since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump extended the invitation after a suggestion from the Russian leader but has insisted the meeting could end within minutes if Putin refuses to compromise. European leaders and Zelensky — who was not invited — will closely monitor the outcome.

Calling it a “feel-out meeting,” Trump vowed not to be pressured by Moscow and promised that any final deal would involve a three-way session with Ukraine. He last met Putin in 2019. Talks are scheduled to begin at 1900 GMT at Elmendorf Air Force Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska and a strategic site during the Cold War. The venue carries symbolic weight — Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 — and has been cited by Moscow in past discussions about land swaps. In an unusual moment on arrival, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the Soviet Union’s Cyrillic initials “CCCP.” The war in Ukraine has stretched on for over three years, inflicting heavy losses and reshaping global geopolitics. The Anchorage summit is expected to be scrutinised not only in Kyiv and Moscow but also in capitals across Europe and Asia, where governments will assess its implications for their own security and foreign policy strategies.