President Donald Trump expects his encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week to be a “listening exercise,”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday, sharply downplaying the possibility that a deal to end the war in Ukraine could be imminent despite a warning from the president last week that Kyiv needed to “get ready to sign something.” (???)
The lowered expectations for Friday’s meeting in Alaska came as Russia made significant battlefield gains in eastern Ukraine and appeared to be in little mood to offer concessions that might be necessary to achieve a durable halt in the fighting.
Leavitt made clear that the White House intends the summit as an opening face-to-face encounter, and not one that Trump expects will lead to a deal on the spot. Asked whether Trump might be willing to engage on issues that stray from resolving the war, such as thawing trade between Russia and the United States, Leavitt said the president intends to keep the focus on Ukraine.
Her comments amplified Trump’s remarks at a news conference Monday in which he had already started to dial back expectations, saying that “I may leave and say ‘good luck,’ and that’ll be the end.”
That’s a notably dampened outlook compared with last week, when Trump floated the idea of territorial concessions as part of a peace deal, with Ukraine giving up territory it controls in exchange for Russian pullouts from elsewhere in the country.
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Last week, during a meeting with Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, Trump gave a more expansive view of the potential for a deal on the Ukraine war, saying Zelensky needed to stop saying that he wasn’t authorized “to do certain things” under Ukrainian law, such as giving up territory.
“I said, ‘Well, you’re going to have to get it fast because, you know, we’re getting very close to a deal,’” Trump told reporters. “President Zelensky has to get all of his, everything he needs, because he’s going to have to get ready to sign something.”
Zelensky has been less positive about the talks than U.S. officials are.
The Friday meeting is Putin’s “personal victory,” Zelensky told reporters in Ukraine on Tuesday, saying that the Russian president will be able to use it as a photo opportunity to demonstrate his waning isolation. Asked why Zelensky was not being included in Friday’s summit, Leavitt said that it was because Trump “is agreeing to this meeting at the request of President Putin.” She said the hope was that the three leaders could meet together sometime soon.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday, sharply downplaying the possibility that a deal to end the war in Ukraine could be imminent despite a warning from the president last week that Kyiv needed to “get ready to sign something.” (???)The lowered expectations for Friday’s meeting in Alaska came as Russia made significant battlefield gains in eastern Ukraine and appeared to be in little mood to offer concessions that might be necessary to achieve a durable halt in the fighting.
Leavitt made clear that the White House intends the summit as an opening face-to-face encounter, and not one that Trump expects will lead to a deal on the spot. Asked whether Trump might be willing to engage on issues that stray from resolving the war, such as thawing trade between Russia and the United States, Leavitt said the president intends to keep the focus on Ukraine.
Her comments amplified Trump’s remarks at a news conference Monday in which he had already started to dial back expectations, saying that “I may leave and say ‘good luck,’ and that’ll be the end.”
That’s a notably dampened outlook compared with last week, when Trump floated the idea of territorial concessions as part of a peace deal, with Ukraine giving up territory it controls in exchange for Russian pullouts from elsewhere in the country.
White House sharply lowers expectations for Trump-Putin summit — The Washington Post
Trump and aides previously suggested that a deal to end the Ukraine war could be close; now they’re calling Friday’s meeting with Putin a “listening exercise.”
“I said, ‘Well, you’re going to have to get it fast because, you know, we’re getting very close to a deal,’” Trump told reporters. “President Zelensky has to get all of his, everything he needs, because he’s going to have to get ready to sign something.”
Zelensky has been less positive about the talks than U.S. officials are.
The Friday meeting is Putin’s “personal victory,” Zelensky told reporters in Ukraine on Tuesday, saying that the Russian president will be able to use it as a photo opportunity to demonstrate his waning isolation. Asked why Zelensky was not being included in Friday’s summit, Leavitt said that it was because Trump “is agreeing to this meeting at the request of President Putin.” She said the hope was that the three leaders could meet together sometime soon.
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