KYIV (NewsNation) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he believes the only reason Vladimir Putin has agreed to meet with Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday is because the Russian leader wants a photo from the meeting.
“I believe that Putin will benefit from this, because what he is seeking, frankly, is photographs. He needs a photo from a meeting with President Trump,” Zelenskyy told a small group of reporters at the presidential palace in Kyiv.
The Alaska summit will be Putin’s first trip to the U.S. since 2015. Since the U.S. is not a member of the International Criminal Court, which in 2023 issued a warrant for Putin on war crimes accusations, it is under no obligation to arrest him.
Zelesnkyy believes Putin merely being on U.S. soil is a victory for Russia.
“First, (Putin) will be meeting on U.S. soil, which I believe is his personal victory,” Zelenskyy said. “Second, he is coming out of isolation because he is meeting on U.S. soil. Third: With this meeting, he has somehow postponed the sanctions policy. President Trump has serious sanctions, and we are very much looking forward to these sanctions. We will see what happens next.”
Russia and the U.S. confirmed the Friday meeting will be between only Putin and Trump, even though there were initial suggestions Zelenskyy might be part of it. The Kremlin, however, has long pushed back against Putin meeting Zelenskyy, at least until a peace deal is reached by Russia and Ukraine and is ready to be signed.
The Ukrainian position remains firm that they do not believe any progress can be made without the Ukrainians being present at negotiations.
“Substantive and productive talks about us without us will not work. They are possible, but they will not be accepted in practice. Just as I cannot say anything about another state or make decisions for it,” said Zelenskyy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.