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DONALD Trump has revealed details for the highly-anticipated crunch talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
The US President described the upcoming talks as a “feel-out meeting” – and said that his Russian counterpart wants to get the war “over with”.
He also told reporters that he would tell Putin: “You’ve got to end this war, you’ve got to end it.”
The historic showdown on August 15 signifies the first meeting between the two leaders since June 2019, with the White House still contemplating whether to extend an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump is also set to dial in with European leaders including Zelensky on Wednesday for an emergency summit in preparation for the Putin meeting.
He said he would call European leaders “who I get along with very well” after leaving the talks.
On Monday, Trump remarked: “I’ve mentioned this a few times and felt let down because after having a promising conversation with him [Putin], missiles would then be launched into Kyiv or other locations.”
He added: “I’d like to see a ceasefire, I’d like to see the best deal that could be made for both parties, it takes two to tango.”
It comes as a top Vladimir Putin crony urged the tyrant to end his war in Ukraine – just days before crunch talks with Donald Trump, reports say.
The Deputy Head of Putin’s administration, Dmitry Kozak, has reportedly encouraged the Russian leader to halt the invasion and begin peace talks.
Sources close to the US President said that they were “very hopeful” Ukraine‘s leader would be invited to the highly-anticipated talks.
One senior administration official told NBC News that a trilateral meeting remains “absolutely” possible.
Another official briefed on White House conversations said: “It’s being discussed.”
It is believed that no official invite has been talked about with Kyiv as of yet.
A senior White House official explained: “Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin.”
Zelensky has already been adamant that he must be involved in any peace talks as they directly impact on the future of his country.
The courageous leader expressed last week that any agreement made without Kyiv’s participation would be “decisions against peace doomed to fail” from the onset.
“Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace,” he said.
“They will not achieve anything.”
His powerful stance has now been echoed by European leaders.
Sir Keir Starmer, along with French, Italian, Polish, Finnish leaders, and the EU have issued a strong statement asserting that peace cannot be achieved without involving Ukraine.
Longtime Putin ally Kozak, 66, is said to have stepped out of line after years of being secretly opposed to the war, the New York Times reported.
He is believed to have presented a plan to end the fighting, which even included proposals for internal reforms.
Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Kozak warned the Russian president about the risks of fierce Ukrainian resistance.
He also tried but failed to negotiate a working truce after the war started.
Western officials claimed that Kozak continued to contact them over the last few years, seeking arguments that might sway Putin.
The top Russian aide managed the integration of Crimea into Russia after it was annexed in 2014.
Who is Dmitry Kozak?
by Harvey Geh
Dmitry Kozak, a longtime ally of Putin, transitioned from a prosecutor in St. Petersburg to deputy head of Putin’s administration, largely due to his close connections with the Russian President.
Born in what was Soviet Ukraine, he served in GRU special forces before training as a lawyer.
He has managed crucial projects like the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the integration of Crimea after it was annexed.
In 2020 he became Russia’s lead envoy to Kyiv, negotiating over Donbas and Transnistria.
Kozak privately warned Putin that invading Ukraine was a mistake, and after proposing a peace deal.
He has been sidelined since his secret opposition to the war.
Many of his duties have been slowly handed off to his de-facto replacement Sergei Kiriyenko.
Because of his central role in Crimea’s annexation and Ukraine destabilisation, Kozak faces sanctions from the UK, EU and US.
He also managed preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
But the top official has lost much of his political influence since Putin’s bloody invasion.
The call with European leaders, orchestrated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has been scheduled for Wednesday as European leaders urgently seek to convey their message to Trump.
The online summit will reportedly focus on how to put pressure on Russia, how to deal with Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the prospect of potential peace talks.
European leaders have made it clear that Putin must first agree to a ceasefire before any peace talks can take place.
