 "Ahead of Alaska meet, Trump warns Putin faces 'severe consequences' if he says no to the ceasefire")
US President Donald Trump warned that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin , would face “very severe consequences” if he did not agree to a ceasefire in the Ukraine war at the Alaska Summit on Friday. Trump’s remarks on the matter came after his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders.
While speaking to the reporters on Wednesday, Trump also suggested that if his meeting with Putin goes well, he will organise a second summit, which would include Zelenskyy as well. “If the first one goes OK, we’ll have a quick second one,” Trump told reporters in Washington. “I would like to do it almost immediately, and we’ll have a quick second meeting between President Putin, President Zelenskyy and me, if they’d like to have me there.”
However, the president did not provide any timeframe for a second meeting. Trump will be meeting Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. The summit will reportedly be held at the Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson , a military facility crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.
Trump delivers a warning to Putin
When asked if Russia would face consequences if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire after the summit, the Republican firebrand gave an affirmative response. “Yes, they will … very severe consequences," Trump remarked.
Trump made it clear that he had a “very good call” with European leaders in which he consulted them about the general goal and strategy for his summit. He told reporters that he gave reassurances to the European leader that a ceasefire was his priority and he would not make any territorial concessions without Kyiv’s full involvement.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Trump’s approach at the video conference appeared to reassure some of the leaders, who were making a final collective plea to the unpredictable US president that he had a duty to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty – and European security – at the talks.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe European leaders spoke to Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance , in a hastily convened one-hour meeting in an effort to shape Trump’s negotiating strategy. The meeting took place since Zelenskyy and European leaders have been excluded from the summit and fear that Trump would make concessions that compromise Ukraine’s future sovereignty.
However, Trump made it clear that he underlined his promise that the summit was not in itself a substantive negotiation and described it as a “ feel-out ” to test Putin’s terms to sign a temporary ceasefire that would then lead to talks with Kyiv.
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