US President Donald Trump said after his meeting with Vladimir Putin that it had been a “wonderful and very successful day” in Alaska, writing about it on his social network Truth Social.
According to Trump, not only the summit itself went “very well,” but also his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with European leaders, “including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO.”
“Everyone came to the conclusion that the best way to end the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine is to move directly to a peace agreement, rather than simply agree to a ceasefire, which is often not observed,” Trump said.
He also said that Zelensky would arrive at the Oval Office in Washington on the afternoon of August 18. According to the US president, if that visit goes well, a meeting with Putin could then be arranged.
“If all goes well, we will arrange a meeting with President Putin,” Trump wrote.
As the source notes, Trump’s statement sharply diverges from the strategy that he, European allies, and Zelensky had coordinated before the Alaska summit.
The Ukrainian president had repeatedly insisted that a ceasefire must come first, and that only after that could peace talks begin. The publication says Trump himself had also spoken about this while traveling to Alaska.