Watch live as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin hold “high stakes” talks on Ukraine in Alaska on Friday (15 August).
The Anchorage summit, which will be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, will mark the US president and Russian leader’s first one-on-one meeting in six years.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is notably absent from the discussions, said that he is “counting on America” to “open a real path toward a just peace”.
Trump is currently on board Air Force One en route to Alaska. Speaking to reporters aboard the jet, the US president said Putin is a “smart guy”, but if he refuses to end the war, there will be “very severe consequences".
Asked if territorial swaps are on the cards, he replied: “They will be discussed, but I've got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they'll make a proper decision.”
On Wednesday (13 August), after a video call with European leaders and Trump, Zelensky stressed that “the path to peace cannot be determined without Ukraine”.
Trump said if it is a “good meeting” he will call Zelensky to arrange a follow-up, but added there's a “25 per cent chance that this meeting will not be a success”.
Meanwhile, Russia has said it will assert their “clear, understandable" position in the talks, according to foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
