‘Trusting Trump’s instincts’: White House tempers expectations for Trump-Putin summit on Ukraine

White House officials are downplaying expectations ahead of Friday’s high-stakes summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, projecting the meeting as an initial step toward resolving the Ukraine war rather than a forum for major breakthroughs.

According to a Politico report, citing senior White House officials, the primary objective is for Trump to “take the measure” of Putin, assess his intentions, and explore the possibility of arranging a future trilateral meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This is all about “trusting Trump’s instincts,” Politico quoted a White House official as saying.

On Monday, President Trump too had described the coming summit as a “feel out meeting.”

“I’m going in to speak to Vladimir, and I’m going to be telling him, ‘You got to end this war. You got to end it’,” he said.

“And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” Trump added.

When asked how he would know if a deal is possible, the president replied, “Because that’s what I do. I make deals.”

Despite President Trump’s ongoing frustration with what he has described as President Putin’s “bullshit” and double talk, White House officials say there are signs that suggest a shift in the Russian leader’s approach to the war in Ukraine.

“Putin offered a plan,” a senior administration official told Politico.

“It may not be a viable plan, but there was something on paper, which shows progress,” the official added.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff returned from Russia last week with a message: Putin is ready to meet. Trump viewed the outreach as a positive step and agreed to the summit in order to “hear him out,” the official added.

While the administration has not disclosed the details of Putin’s proposal, both Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte have acknowledged that one contentious idea — exchanging land for peace — is under discussion.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has firmly rejected that concept in the past.

Trump’s willingness to take a meeting without preconditions underscores his desire to end the war and the faith he has in his own ability to suss out Putin’s intentions.

“After they talk, Trump will be able to gauge how serious Putin is about peace,” Politico quoted a second White House official as saying.

This meeting is “the beginning of a new phase,” he added.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is convening a virtual summit on Wednesday where Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders can discuss a potential agreement with Putin.

The virtual summit will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks.

With inputs from agencies