President Donald J. Trump reportedly said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin appeared prepared to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, striking an optimistic yet measured tone on the eve of a high-stakes summit between the two leaders in Alaska.
“I believe now he’s convinced that he’s going to make a deal,” Mr. Trump told Brian Kilmeade on his Fox News Radio program. “He’s going to make a deal. I think he’s going to. And we’re going to find out — I’m going to know very quickly.”
Mr. Trump, who has long cast himself as a dealmaker capable of resolving conflicts where others have failed, suggested that Friday’s meeting could mark a turning point.
But he also acknowledged the possibility of an inconclusive outcome, estimating a “25 percent chance” the session would not succeed.
“This meeting sets up the second meeting,” he explained. “The second meeting is going to be very, very important, because that’s going to be a meeting where they make a deal. And I don’t want to use the word divvy things up, but you know, to a certain extent, it’s not a bad term, OK? But there will be a give and take as to boundaries, lands, etc., etc.”
The president emphasized that progress might come in stages, underscoring the importance of sustained dialogue rather than expecting immediate resolution. “There is a 25 percent chance this meeting will not be a successful meeting,” he said, framing even that possibility as part of a broader process toward ending hostilities.
Mr. Trump also revealed he had identified three possible sites for a follow-up meeting involving Mr. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including Alaska, which has hosted previous diplomatic encounters.
The comments came a day before Mr. Trump’s scheduled arrival at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, near Anchorage, where he and Mr. Putin are set to meet one-on-one before convening with their respective delegations. A press conference is also planned.
Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022 after a prolonged troop buildup along the border, sparking a conflict that has reshaped European security and strained U.S.–Russia relations.
From the outset of his campaign, Mr. Trump pledged to end the war “within 24 hours” of taking office — a statement he later clarified as partly tongue-in-cheek, while maintaining that his administration could bring both sides to the negotiating table swiftly.
Friday’s talks, by Mr. Trump’s own account, are aimed at testing whether Mr. Putin’s willingness to make a deal is genuine. His remarks conveyed confidence that his approach — rooted in direct engagement, personal rapport, and pragmatic bargaining — can open avenues for compromise that have eluded the Biden administration.
By proposing a second summit with all parties present, President Trump is positioning himself as both a mediator and a principal negotiator.
His readiness to discuss “boundaries” and “lands” reflects an openness to tackling the most contentious issues head-on, rather than sidestepping them — a hallmark of the transactional diplomacy he has championed throughout his political career.
For Mr. Trump, the Alaska meeting is not merely symbolic. It is, in his telling, the first step in what could be the most consequential deal-making effort of his political life: ending a war that has claimed thousands of lives and destabilized an entire region.
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