Trump Believes Putin Is Ready To Reach An Agreement On War In Ukraine

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to end the war in Ukraine.

This was conveyed ahead of the summit between the two leaders on Friday.

"I think President Putin will achieve peace, I think President Zelensky will achieve peace," President Trump told reporters at the White House.

"We'll see if they get along," he continued.

However, peace may require at least a second meeting involving Ukrainian Leaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies have intensified their efforts this week to prevent a deal from reaching between the US and Russia from Friday's summit in Alaska, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks.

President Trump has played down talks about the ceasefire emerging from the summit, speculating about a possible second meeting to come, involving more leaders.

"I think this will be a good meeting, but a more important meeting is the second meeting we hold. We will meet with President Putin, President Zelensky, and myself, and maybe we will bring along some European leaders. Maybe not. I don't know that," said President Trump.

Separately, President Putin had previously spoken to his ministers and most senior security officials as he prepared for a meeting with Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, which could determine the end of Europe's biggest war since the Second World War.

In televised comments, Putin said that the US was "making, in my opinion, an energetic and sincere effort to stop hostilities, stop the crisis, and reach an agreement that benefits all parties involved in this conflict."

This is happening, said President Putin, "to create long-term peace conditions between our countries and in Europe, and in the world as a whole, if, in the next stage, we reach an agreement in the field of strategic offensive arms control."

His comments hinted Russia would step up nuclear arms control as part of a broad discussion of security when he met with President Trump.

A Kremlin aide said President Putin and President Trump would also discuss "major potentials that have not been exploited" for Russia-US economic relations.

President Trump said there would be a press conference after the negotiations, but he did not know whether the press conference would be joint.

"This meeting was like a chess game," said President Trump.

"This (first) meeting will be the beginning for the second meeting, but there is a possibility that 25 percent of this meeting will not work," he said.

President Trump said President Putin and President Zelensky would reach an agreement, saying: "I will not negotiate their agreement."