European leaders have lauded U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining pressure on Moscow and safeguarding Ukrainian and European security.
Trump plans to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, saying the parties, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were close to a deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict.
The U.S. president is open to a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelenskyy, but for now, the White House is planning a bilateral meeting as requested by Putin, a White House official said. Russian and Ukrainian officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the prospects of a trilateral meeting.
Details of a potential deal have not been announced, but Trump said it would involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both." It could require Ukraine to surrender significant parts of its territory, an outcome Zelenskyy and his European allies say would only encourage Russian aggression.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and representatives of Ukraine and European allies on Saturday at Chevening House, a country mansion southeast of London, to discuss Trump's push for peace.
