White House mulls inviting Zelensky to Trump-Putin summit in Alaska
WASHINGTON, DC: The White House is actively considering inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to join President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, senior administration officials confirmed on Saturday, August 9.
The high-profile meeting, scheduled for Friday, is aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and would mark the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Putin since 2019.
White House weighs trilateral talks
Officials say the decision on Volodymyr Zelensky’s attendance has not yet been finalized but remains a strong possibility.
The inclusion of the Ukrainian leader could significantly alter the dynamics of the meeting, which already carries high diplomatic stakes amid reports that Moscow has proposed territorial concessions in exchange for peace.
“It’s being discussed,” a source familiar with internal deliberations told NBC News.
Another senior official added, “Everyone is very hopeful that would happen.” The White House said Trump remains “open to a trilateral summit with both leaders,” though the current focus is on the bilateral meeting Putin requested.
The discussions follow a visit to Moscow earlier this week by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who met Putin for their fifth summit this year.
During those talks, Kremlin officials reportedly presented a plan that would see Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk in return for a ceasefire, alongside potential “swapping of territories to the betterment of both” nations, as Trump later described.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the meeting would have happened earlier, “but I guess there’s security arrangements that unfortunately people have to make.”
Volodymyr Zelensky rules out Ukraine territorial concessions
Volodymyr Zelensky has already made it clear he will not agree to any territorial concessions. “Of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace,” he said on Saturday.
His remarks followed consultations in Kent, England, attended by US Vice President JD Vance, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak, and other European security advisors.
According to BBC News, the meeting was reportedly called at the request of the US. Lammy stressed that the UK’s support for Ukraine “remains ironclad” as they work toward a just and lasting peace.
