President Donald J. Trump announced Friday night that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold a meeting aimed at advancing negotiations to end the war in Eastern Europe — a development the president credited to his direct engagement with Moscow.
Appearing on Fox News’ Hannity, Mr. Trump revealed the breakthrough after hosting Mr. Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, for nearly three hours of intensive talks.
While no formal agreement was reached, the president described the discussion as “very extensive” and said both sides were moving toward narrowing their differences.
“We were together almost three hours, and it was very extensive, and we agreed on a lot of points. I mean, a lot of points were agreed on, but there’s not that much, as you know, one or two pretty significant items. But I think they can be reached,” Mr. Trump said. “Now it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations. They have to get involved a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelenskyy.”
The president, who has made restoring peace a centerpiece of his foreign policy since his campaign, added that he may attend the next round of talks if invited. “They’re going to set up a meeting now between President Zelenskyy and President Putin. And, myself, I guess, you know, I didn’t even, I didn’t ask about it. Not that I want to be there, but I want to make sure it gets done,” Mr. Trump said.
The Anchorage summit underscored the president’s willingness to take a direct role in ending the conflict, contrasting with the reluctance of European leaders, who Mr. Trump said must “get involved a little bit.” For now, however, he placed the responsibility squarely on Kyiv.
“Now it’s really up to President Zelenskyy,” Mr. Trump emphasized. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
The meeting followed weeks of maneuvering. Earlier this month, Mr. Trump had set a timeline for Mr. Putin to begin negotiations, amid reports that the Russian leader was hesitant to engage.
After a conversation with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on Aug. 6, reports indicated Mr. Putin signaled openness to halting hostilities in exchange for Kyiv ceding the Donbas, a Russian-speaking region at the heart of the war.
Mr. Zelenskyy, however, rejected that possibility outright. “For Russians, Donbas is a bridgehead for a future new offensive,” he told reporters Tuesday, according to the Business Standard.
The Ukrainian leader later posted on X, demanding that Moscow take full responsibility for ending the conflict.
He insisted that a meeting between leaders “is needed – at the very least, Ukraine, America, and the Russian side – and it is precisely in such a format that effective decisions are possible. Security guarantees are needed.”
The exact date of the planned Putin–Zelenskyy meeting has yet to be announced, and neither foreign leader has publicly confirmed Mr. Trump’s disclosure.
Still, the president expressed cautious optimism. “We agreed on a lot of points,” Mr. Trump said of his talks with Mr. Putin, while making clear that the work was not finished. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
[READ MORE: Trump Heads to Alaska Summit With Putin, Says Ukraine Will Decide Its Own Fate]
