Washington – The White House plans to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Alaska, where President Donald Trump should meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, according to a senior American official and three people informed internal discussions.
“It is discussed,” said one of the people informed of the discussions.
The senior American official and people informed the discussions indicating that no visit had been finalized and that it is not clear if Zelenskyy would ultimately be in Alaska for meetings.
The senior administration said that it was “absolutely” possible.
“Everyone hopes it would happen,” said the manager.
When asked if the United States had officially invited Zelenskyy to Alaska, a senior White House official said: “The president remains open to a trilateral summit with the two leaders. Right now, the White House focuses on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin. ”
The Ukrainian government has not responded to a request for comments.
Trump announced on Friday that he met Putin on August 15 in Alaska when he was trying to get a ceasefire in Ukraine. The White House initially made a Putin meeting with Zelenskyy a condition for a meeting between Trump and the Russian president, but Trump later said that it was not a prerequisite.
If Zelenskyy went to Alaska, it is not clear if he and Putin would never be in the same room, said one of the people informed of the discussions.
The sharp increase in diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine occurs after Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Putin in Moscow before a deadline on Friday that the president had set for the Russian chief to accept a cease-fire or face new sanctions.
Putin did not accept a cease-fire but proposed the contours of an agreement to end the war which would allow Russia to keep large sides of Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy said on Saturday with the Ukrainians “would not give their land to the occupants”.
Trump said on Friday that Russia and Ukraine between Russia and “there will be an exchange of territories towards the improvement of the two.”
Administration officials were working on Saturday to try to obtain support for a potential ceasefire of the Ukrainian government and European leaders.
