By Justin Spike and Pan Pyls, Associated Press
London (AP)As the two leaders readied themselves for a crucial U.S.-Russia meeting Friday in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday for his efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion.
In a brief video issued by the Kremlin after a meeting with top government officials on Thursday, Putin stated that the Trump administration was making very serious and vigorous attempts to halt the fighting and come to solutions that would benefit all sides.
Putin also proposed that a nuclear arms control deal with the United States may lead to long-term peace conditions in our nations, Europe, and the entire world.
Trump stated that there was a 25% possibility that the summit would fail in Washington, but he also hinted that if it went well, he may invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Alaska for a follow-up three-way meeting.
Trump said that, depending on what transpires with Putin, he would be open to staying in Alaska for a longer period of time in a radio interview with Fox News.
When Trump and Putin met in Anchorage, Zelenskyy and other European officials made sure their interests were taken into consideration.
A day before the crucial Trump-Putin meeting, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy to London on Thursday as part of Britain’s support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy left around an hour after the two gave one other a loving embrace outside Starmer’s offices at 10 Downing Street without saying anything.
A day prior to his visit to the British capital, Zelenskyy participated in virtual discussions with Trump and the leaders of numerous European nations from Berlin. According to those leaders, Trump promised them that when he talks with Putin, he will prioritize attempting to reach a truce in Ukraine.
Trump told reporters following the discussions that if Putin doesn’t agree to halt the conflict against Ukraine, there would be very serious repercussions for Russia.
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While some European leaders, such as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, hailed Wednesday’s video conference with Trump as positive, it was unclear how the U.S. leader, whose rhetoric toward Zelenskyy and Putin has drastically changed since retaking office this year, would conduct talks without any other parties.
Zelenskyy and the Europeans are both concerned that they and their interests will be marginalized during the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit, and that any agreements reached could favor Moscow and jeopardize the security of Ukraine and Europe in the future.
According to Russian news agency Interfax, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stifled hopes for any breakthroughs from the Friday session, stating that there were no intentions to sign agreements and that it would be a grave mistake to forecast the outcome of the negotiations.
On Thursday, the Kremlin announced that Trump and Putin will meet at 11:30 a.m. local time. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, informed reporters that Trump and Putin will first meet individually before the two delegations meet. After that, discussions will continue over a business brunch. There will then be a joint news conference.
By claiming that no decisions had been made on a press conference with Putin, Trump defied the Kremlin. The ambiguity illustrates how many aspects of the summit, including its scheduling, are still up in the air.
On Wednesday, Starmer suggested that the Alaska conference would lead to a truce in Ukraine, but he also hinted at European worries that Trump might reach an agreement that would compel Ukraine to give up land to Russia. He cautioned that if required, Western allies must be ready to increase pressure on Russia.
Starmer emphasized the need for any ceasefire agreement to safeguard Ukraine’s territorial integrity during a conversation on Wednesday between leaders of nations that are part of the coalition of the willing and those ready to assist in policing any future peace accord between Moscow and Kyiv.
He stated that changing international borders by force is not and should not be done.
For a long time, Kyiv has maintained that a lasting end to the conflict would require protection from future Russian attacks from its Western partners. However, a lot of Western nations have been reluctant to commit troops.
The coalition’s member nations, including France and the United Kingdom, have been attempting for months to obtain U.S. security support, if necessary. According to Macron, Trump informed the leaders gathered at the virtual conference on Wednesday that the United States and all other parties should participate in future security assurances, even though NATO must not be a part of them.
“We have received a very important clarification,” Macron stated.
In his remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Trump made no mention of any U.S. security pledges.
Some Ukrainians voiced doubts about the summit’s chances, given that another high-level gathering about their nation’s future is imminent.
39-year-old Oleksandra Kozlova, who works for a Kyiv-based digital agency, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she thinks Ukrainians have already given up on making significant strides toward the end of the conflict.
She stated, “I don’t think this round will be decisive.” Enough discussions and negotiations have already been held to assure us, the common people, that the war will finish, that something will be settled, and that things will improve. I personally don’t see any changes coming because, regrettably, this hasn’t happened.
Even if it means giving up territory, Ukraine’s first priority right now should be saving the lives of its military personnel, according to Anton Vyshniak, a car salesperson in Kyiv.
Right now, protecting the lives of both male and female military troops is the most crucial issue. He remarked that there aren’t many human resources remaining. Human lives are precious, but boundaries are borders.
Ukraine has achieved the release of 84 individuals, including civilians and troops, from Russian captivity, Zelenskyy said Thursday. According to Zelenskyy’s Telegram post, those released included troops who had defended Mariupol, a Ukrainian city presently under Russian occupation, as well as individuals detained by Russia since 2014, 2016, and 2017.
As part of a prisoner swap, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that it had also acquired 84 servicemen.
In other news, Ukrainian regional officials reported that Russian strikes in the Sumy region of Ukraine overnight Wednesday caused multiple injuries. Oleh Hryhorov, the regional governor, reported that a 27-year-old male and a 7-year-old girl were injured in a missile strike on a village in the Seredyna-Budska community. In stable condition, the girl was admitted to the hospital.
According to Yuri Slyusar, the acting governor of the region, a Ukrainian drone assault in Russia damaged multiple residential complexes in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, close to the Ukrainian border, injuring 13 citizens. According to Slyusar, two of the injured were admitted to the hospital in critical condition.
Spike reported from Hungary’s capital, Budapest. This article was written by Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Washington, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia; Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine; and Lorne Cook in Brussels.
Visit https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine to follow AP’s coverage of the conflict in Ukraine.
