WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told European leaders during a call on Wednesday that he does not intend to discuss any possible divisions of territory when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week, according to two European officials and three other people briefed on the call.
Trump said on the call, which also included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that he is going into the meeting with Putin with the goal of securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, those sources said.
Trump and European leaders agreed that a ceasefire in Ukraine has to be implemented before peace negotiations can begin, the European officials and two other people briefed on the call said. Some of the European leaders were left with the impression from the call that Trump is not optimistic about the results of his meeting with Putin, they added.
The call on Wednesday took place just days ahead of Trump’s meeting with Putin, which is planned for Friday. European and Ukrainian officials have been nervous about the president’s meeting with the Russian leader since he announced it last week. Among their concerns is that Trump and Putin might agree to the parameters of a peace deal, including territorial divisions, and then try to pressure Ukraine to agree to it. Trump’s comments last week that there would “be some land swapping” between Russia and Ukraine, in particular, put Zelenskyy and European leaders on edge.
But the two European officials and three other people briefed on Wednesday’s call said all the leaders agreed that Ukraine must be included in negotiations and should be the one to decide what territorial concessions it might be willing to make. They also said the leaders were united in their belief that if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire, Trump will likely levy new sanctions on Russia.
Two additional people familiar with Wednesday’s call said European leaders left feeling positive about Trump’s plans for his meeting with Putin. One of them said achieving a ceasefire is expected to be the priority for Trump in the meeting. The other person expressed confidence that Ukrainian territory would not be negotiated without Ukraine.
In response to a request for comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “The White House does not discuss details of the President’s private diplomatic conversations. However, President Trump has been clear that he wants to end this war and stop the killing, and Friday’s meeting with President Putin will serve as an important moment in this process.”
Trump said Wednesday after the call that it was “very good” and suggested that another meeting involving Zelenskyy could quickly follow his sit-down with Putin.
“There’s a very good chance that we’re going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first, because the first is I’m going to find out where we are and what we’re doing,” Trump told reporters. “I would like to do it almost immediately, and we’ll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they’d like to have me there.”
The president also said Russia will face “severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to end the war.
Vice President JD Vance, who also participated in Wednesday’s call, said afterward during remarks to U.S. troops at RAF Fairford in the U.K. that “one of our most important shared security goals in Europe” is ending the war in Ukraine.
Carlo Angerer, Gordon Lubold and Abigail Williams contributed.
