Before the meeting in Alaska White House dampens expectations for Trump-Putin summit
The closer the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin gets, the more expectations are also being dampened in the White House: the meeting in Alaska is "a listening exercise for the president".
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- The White House has dampened expectations for the summit between US President Donald Trump and the Russian president.
- The meeting on Friday is "a listening exercise for the president", as a spokeswoman explained.
- According to US media, the summit will take place at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage.
Shortly before the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the White House has lowered expectations for the meeting. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt explained: "This is a listening exercise for the president."
After all, only one party to the war was present on Friday. The aim of the conversation was therefore for Trump to "gain a better understanding of how we can hopefully end this war."
According to NBC News, the summit is to take place at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, the northernmost US state. Officially, the search for ways to end the war in Ukraine is on the agenda.
Trump: "Will not make a deal"
According to NBC and other observers, the timing of the meeting is considered explosive: Russia is currently stepping up its offensive in eastern Ukraine and, according to experts, appears to want to secure a better negotiating position. Among other things, Moscow is demanding the retention of occupied territories, Ukraine's renunciation of NATO membership and new elections in Ukraine - maximum demands that Kiev strictly rejects.
There is growing concern among Zelensky and his European allies that Trump, who has repeatedly criticized both Russia and Ukraine, could push for a quick deal - even if it includes territorial concessions at Ukraine's expense. It was only on Monday that Trump publicly brought a controversial "territory swap" into play.
However, Trump himself had already made it clear that he would not conclude an agreement on the war in Ukraine with the Kremlin leader. "I will not make a deal", the US President announced at a press conference in Washington, saying that this was not his job. He would like to see a ceasefire - and "the best deal that can be reached for both sides."
Expert sees summit as a stage
Political analyst Benjamin Godwin told CNBC about the handling of the summit: "The whole basis for this meeting is based on something that neither the Ukrainians nor the Europeans - and actually not the Americans either - can agree to." For this reason, the White House's communication has become increasingly cautious: "You can see the White House backpedaling - more and more as the meeting approaches."
The expert sees the summit primarily as a stage: "This is a great opportunity for Putin to make a big and strong impression on the world stage. It's also a great opportunity for Trump - he loves such stagings". However, Godwin believes it is "very unlikely" that anything will come of it.
