(NewsNation) — President Trump is weighing the idea of inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, a White House official told NewsNation Saturday.
The move, if it comes to pass, would transform a high-stakes bilateral meeting for a potential peace deal in Ukraine to a trilateral meeting in which Putin and Zelenskyy would personally cross paths more than three years after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“The President remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. Right now, the White House is planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin,” the White House official told NewsNation’s Libbey Dean.
Trump, who has long claimed he could end the war in Ukraine, had been putting increasing pressure on Moscow to come to the negotiating table or face additional economic sanctions. As the deadline hit Friday, the White House announced the Aug. 15 meeting in Alaska between Trump and Putin.
During talks last week with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, Putin reportedly shared a proposal for a complete ceasefire, which would entail Ukraine withdrawing its military from the Donetsk region, allowing it to be under the Kremlin’s control, along with Luhansk.
Trump on Friday said some territorial swapping would take place for “the betterment of both” countries. Zelenskyy on Saturday pushed back on that idea, saying, “Of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace.”
Meanwhile, European leaders this weekend expressed support for Ukraine and said it must be involved in any peace negotiations.
“We are convinced that only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed,” they said in a prepared statement.
The Hill contributed to this report.