WASHINGTON — The White House is contemplating an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to join in Alaska, where President Donald Trump is set to have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, as per a senior U.S. official and several individuals briefed on the internal talks.
“It’s being discussed,” one of the people briefed on the discussions said.
The senior U.S. official and individuals informed of the discussions mentioned that no visit has been confirmed yet, and it remains uncertain if Zelenskyy will eventually be in Alaska for any meetings.
The senior administration official said it is “absolutely” possible.
“Everyone is very hopeful that would happen,” the official said.
When asked whether the U.S. has formally invited Zelenskyy to Alaska, a high-ranking White House official commented: “The President is still open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. At this moment, the White House is concentrating on organizing the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin.”
The Ukrainian government did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump declared on Friday that he plans to meet with Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska as part of efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. Initially, the White House had set a condition that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would precede a meeting between Trump and the Russian president, but Trump later clarified that it was not a prerequisite.
Should Zelenskyy decide to travel to Alaska, it remains uncertain if he and Putin will find themselves in the same room, according to one person briefed on the discussions.
This wave of diplomacy, intended to conclude the conflict in Ukraine, follows a meeting between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin in Moscow, ahead of a Friday deadline enforced by the president for the Russian leader to agree to a ceasefire or confront fresh sanctions.
Putin has not agreed to a ceasefire but proposed the outlines of an agreement to end the war that would allow Russia to keep large swaths of Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy said defiantly on Saturday that Ukrainians “will not give their land to occupiers.”
Trump said Friday that between Russia and Ukraine, “there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
ministration officials were working on Saturday to try to gain support for a potential ceasefire from the Ukrainian government and European leaders.
