 "Trump departs to Alaska for high-stakes meeting with Putin on Ukraine")
US President Donald Trump departed for Alaska on Thursday ahead of a closely watched meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a high-stakes encounter that could prove decisive for the future of European security and influence the course of the war in Ukraine.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are among the Trump administration officials joining the president for his flight to Alaska.
Trump will also be accompanied on Air Force One by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and top White House aides, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Monica Crowley, a former Fox News commentator serving as Trump’s chief of protocol, also are making the trip.
Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday in Alaska in a high-risk summit that could prove decisive for the future of Ukraine.
Putin will step onto Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a relentless war that has killed tens of thousands of people and has seen Russia make rapid gains just before the summit.
Trump extended the invitation at the Russian leader’s suggestion, but the US president has since been defensive and warned that the meeting could be over within minutes if Putin does not compromise.
“HIGH STAKES,” he posted on his Truth Social platform shortly before boarding Air Force One and taking off for the near seven-hour flight to Anchorage.
Ukraine ‘counting’ on Trump to end war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged Donald Trump to convince Russia to halt its invasion at the US leader’s high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” he said in a social media post.
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View AllTrump praises Putin as ‘smart guy’ before talks
Trump said he and Vladimir Putin shared a “good respect level on both sides” as he headed to Alaska for a summit with the Russian leader over Ukraine.
“He’s a smart guy. He’s been doing it for a long time, but so have I… We’re presidents. We get along. There’s a good respect level on both sides,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force Once during the flight to Anchorage.
With inputs from agencies
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