US President Vows To Seek Return Of Territory For Ukraine In Meeting With Putin

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will push to secure the return of some Ukrainian territory during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

US President Trump Pledges to Raise Ukraine Issue

Speaking at a White House press conference, President Trump said, “Russia’s occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They occupied prime territory. We’re going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”

He described the upcoming summit as a ‘feel-out meeting’, adding that future talks could also include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or even bring together all three leaders.

A White House official told reporters on Saturday that President Trump remained open to a joint summit with Putin and Zelensky.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Sunday that President Trump will decide whether Zelensky attends Friday’s meeting.

There’s still time to make that decision.

Trump and Putin are scheduled to hold talks in Alaska at the end of the week. Trump claimed he could determine ‘within two minutes’ whether progress with Putin was possible.

The US President announced the summit last Friday, coinciding with his self-imposed deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face new US sanctions.

Responding to reports of the Alaska summit, Zelensky warned that any agreements made without Ukraine’s participation would amount to ‘dead decisions’.

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