After Alaska Talks, Trump Eyes Zelensky-Putin Negotiation

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that, should his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska go well, he would like to immediately hold a three-way summit involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump warned that if he does not “get the answers he wants” during the Alaska summit, the second meeting will not happen. Asked whether there would be consequences if Putin refused a ceasefire on Friday, Trump responded, “There will be very serious consequences.”

According to a Reuters source, European leaders and Zelensky discussed possible venues for the three-way summit depending on the outcome of the Alaska negotiations. CBS also reports that the U.S. administration is seeking a location for the potential three-party meeting, which could take place by the end of next week.

Trump has previously expressed optimism about the upcoming Alaska meeting, calling it “constructive,” and confirmed plans to organize a face-to-face between himself, Putin, and Zelensky.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized during an online meeting with European, U.S., and Ukrainian leaders that any Alaska talks must safeguard Europe’s and Ukraine’s security interests. He stressed that legal recognition of Russia’s territorial acquisitions is unacceptable and demanded robust security guarantees for Ukraine.

For his part, Zelensky reiterated that “everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine.” Speaking about the upcoming Friday summit, he confirmed that he had discussed Ukraine’s priorities with Trump.

The Kremlin has noted that the idea of a Putin-Zelensky meeting was raised by U.S. Special Representative Steven Witkoff during his visit to Russia on August 6, but no discussions followed. Putin has expressed openness to such a meeting if the proper conditions are created, though he remarked that those conditions are “still far off.”

According to Sky News, Ukraine’s allies are considering gradually easing sanctions against Russia if a comprehensive ceasefire deal is reached, with the option to reimpose sanctions in case of violations. The publication reports hopes for a 15-day ceasefire during which existing sanctions would remain in place, before transitioning to a more structured pause in hostilities.

Sources in the Italian government told Sky News that Italy would push for Europe’s participation in the talks and stress the “need for clear military, economic, and political guarantees for Ukraine.”

Zelensky Outlines Five Principles of Ukraine’s Position

After discussions with European leaders and Trump, Zelensky said five core principles were agreed upon:

• All discussions involving Ukraine must include Ukraine.
• A three-way negotiation format must be established.
• A ceasefire must be the first priority.
• Security guarantees must be genuine and reliable.
• Peace talks should be accompanied by continued pressure on Russia.

“Russia cannot have a veto over Ukraine’s European and NATO future,” Zelensky emphasized. He added that sanctions against Russia must be strengthened if it fails to agree to a ceasefire following the Alaska meeting.

“These are effective principles. It is important that they work,” Zelensky concluded.