President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would like to see a second meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Alaska.
Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
"I would say that tomorrow, all I want to do is set the table for the next meeting, which should happen shortly. I'd like to see it actually happen, maybe in Alaska," Trump said.
Also Read | Trump cites India tariffs as factor in Putin meeting him: ‘Everything has impact’
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet one-on-one on Friday in Alaska before holding a joint press conference, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.
Before the meeting, Trump warned he would impose “very severe consequences” if Russian President Putin didn’t agree to a ceasefire agreement later this week.
Also Read | US warns of more tariffs on India if Trump-Putin talks in Alaska ‘don’t go well'
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | US warns of more tariffs on India if Trump-Putin talks in Alaska ‘don’t go well'
{{/usCountry}}Trump also said he hoped to use the Friday meeting to set up a “quick second meeting” with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky after allies pressed him to push for such a summit.
Putin praises Trump
Russian President Putin on Thursday praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion, as the two leaders prepared for a pivotal US–Russia summit on Friday in Alaska.
Also Read | Trump's Social Security proclamation: POTUS makes massive announcement; ‘kicked 275K aliens out’
Following a meeting on Thursday with top government officials on the summit, Putin said in a short video released by the Kremlin that the Trump administration was making “quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities” and to “reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies have intensified their efforts this week to prevent any deal between the US and Russia emerging from Friday's summit in Alaska that leaves Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.