Putin said in a short video released by the Kremlin that the Trump administration was making “energetic and sincere efforts” to stop the war.
LONDON, UK — On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin commended U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine, more than three years after Russia’s invasion. This comes as the two leaders prepare for a crucial U.S.–Russia summit set to take place in Alaska on Friday.
After a meeting with high-ranking government officials about the summit, Putin noted in a brief video released by the Kremlin that the Trump administration was making “quite energetic and sincere efforts to halt the hostilities” and to “forge agreements beneficial to all involved parties.”
Putin also mentioned the possibility of achieving “long-term peace conditions between our nations, across Europe, and globally,” through a U.S. agreement on nuclear arms control.
In Washington, Trump indicated there was a 25% chance that the summit might not succeed but also hinted that, if the meeting is successful, he could bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Alaska for a follow-up, three-way meeting.
In a radio interview with Fox News, Trump also said he might be willing to stay in Alaska longer, depending on what happens with Putin.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy and other European leaders worked to ensure their interests are taken into account when Trump and Putin meet in Anchorage.
Uncertainty for Europe
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy to London on Thursday, demonstrating Britain’s support for Ukraine ahead of the pivotal Trump-Putin meeting. The two leaders shared a warm embrace outside Starmer’s 10 Downing Street office without making any statements, and Zelenskyy left after approximately an hour.
Zelenskyy’s visit to the British capital followed his participation in virtual meetings from Berlin with Trump and leaders from several European countries. Those leaders reported that Trump assured them he would prioritize achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine during his talks with Putin.
Speaking after the meetings to reporters, Trump warned of “very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin doesn’t agree to stop the war against Ukraine after Friday’s meeting.
While some European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, praised Wednesday’s video conference with Trump as constructive, uncertainty remained over how the U.S. leader — whose rhetoric toward both Zelenskyy and Putin has evolved dramatically since retaking office this year — would conduct negotiations in the absence of any other interested parties.
Both Zelenskyy and the Europeans have worried that the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit would leave them and their interests sidelined, and that any conclusions could favor Moscow and leave Ukraine and Europe’s future security in jeopardy.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tamped down expectations for any breakthroughs from the Friday summit, saying there were no plans to sign documents and that it would be a “big mistake” to predict the results of the negotiations, according to Russian news outlet Interfax.
The Kremlin on Thursday said the meeting between Trump and Putin would begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one meeting followed by a meeting between the two delegations. Then talks will continue over “a working breakfast.” A joint news conference will follow.
Trump contradicted the Kremlin, saying that no decisions have been made about holding a news conference with Putin. The uncertainty reflects just how much about the summit, including its schedule, remains unsettled.
Ukraine’s territorial integrity
Starmer said Wednesday that the Alaska summit could be a path to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but he also alluded to European concerns that Trump may strike a deal that forces Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. He warned that Western allies must be prepared to step up pressure on Russia if necessary.
During a call Wednesday among leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — Starmer stressed that any ceasefire deal must protect the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
“International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force,’’ he said.
Kyiv has long insisted that safeguards against future Russian attacks provided by its Western allies would be a precondition for achieving a durable end to the fighting. Yet many Western governments have been hesitant to commit military personnel.
Countries in the coalition, which includes France and the U.K., have been trying for months to secure U.S. security backing, should it be required. Following Wednesday’s virtual meetings, Macron said Trump told the assembled leaders that while NATO must not be part of future security guarantees, “the United States and all the parties involved should take part.”
“It’s a very important clarification that we have received,” Macron said.
Trump did not reference any U.S. security commitments during his comments to reporters on Wednesday.
Some Ukrainians are skeptical
With another high-level meeting on their country’s future on the horizon, some Ukrainians expressed skepticism about the summit’s prospects.
Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, who works at a digital agency in Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she believes Ukrainians “have already lost hope” that meaningful progress can be made toward ending the war.
“I don’t think this round will be decisive,” she said. “There have already been enough meetings and negotiations promising us, ordinary people, that something will be resolved, that things will get better, that the war will end. Unfortunately, this has not happened, so personally I don’t see any changes coming.”
Anton Vyshniak, a car salesman in Kyiv, said Ukraine’s priority now should be saving the lives of its military service members, even at the expense of territorial concessions.
“At the moment, the most important thing is to preserve the lives of male and female military personnel. After all, there are not many human resources left,” he said. “Borders are borders, but human lives are priceless.”
Russia and Ukraine trade strikes
Zelenskyy said Thursday that Ukraine had secured the release of 84 people from Russian captivity, including both soldiers and civilians. Those freed included people held by Russia since 2014, 2016 and 2017, as well as soldiers who had defended the now Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it too had received 84 soldiers as part of a prisoner exchange.
In other developments, Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Sumy region overnight Wednesday resulted in numerous injuries, Ukrainian regional officials said. A missile strike on a village in the Seredyna-Budska community wounded a 7-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov. The girl was hospitalized in stable condition.
In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged several apartment buildings in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, near the border with Ukraine, where 13 civilians were wounded, according to acting governor of the region, Yuri Slyusar. Two of the wounded were hospitalized in serious condition, Slyusar said.
Spike reported from Budapest, Hungary. Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine; Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England; Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
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