The White House is considering inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to an Alaskan summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a White House official told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.
It is unclear if Zelensky would attend the meeting with the two leaders as meeting details have yet to be finalized.
Trump announced Friday that he will meet with Putin in Alaska next week to discuss ending the over three-years long war between Russia and Ukraine.
The president has not ruled out hosting a meeting between the two Eastern European leaders — a move that was previously shot down by the Kremlin.
“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,” a senior White House official told NewsNation’s Libbey Dean on Saturday.
The possible invite comes after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, their fifth summit this year. Their meeting took place just two days before the president was set to impose new sanctions on Moscow.
During their meeting, 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 said on Friday at the White House that some territorial swapping would take place for “the betterment of both” countries.
Zelensky fired back on Saturday morning, dismissing the idea of potentially ceding land to Russia.
“Of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace,” Ukraine’s leader said.
Vice President Vance, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Zelensky’s top adviser, Andriy Yermak and European national security advisors took part in a meeting in Kent, England, where they weighed in on the ceasefire proposal.
“The UK’s support for Ukraine remains ironclad as we continue working towards a just and lasting peace,” Lammy wrote Saturday after the meeting.
