Days before Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet President Trump in Alaska, Putin praises President Trump for his efforts for peace.
President Trump and Putin are set to meet at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson near Anchorage, the headquarters of Alaskan Command and the 11th Air Force, for in-person talks. Both presidents are optimistic about the upcoming meeting, and Putin had glowing compliments for President Trump.
According to Breitbart, Russian state media had reported that Putin had said, “The current US administration, which, as everyone knows, in my opinion, is making rather energetic and sincere efforts in order to halt combat, to end the crisis and reach an agreement that is in the interests of all parties involved.”
He also reiterated that the purpose of the meeting was to “create lasting conditions for peace both between our countries and in Europe, and for the world in general”.
For President Trump, these meetings are crucial for setting up the following meetings, which he hinted would include negotiations over land swaps between Russia and Ukraine.
During an appearance on Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” President Trump likened negotiations with Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “like chess,” but he remains positive. President Trump estimates that his meeting with Putin only has a 25 percent chance of failing.
Fox News reported that President Trump told Kilmeade, “I believe now he’s convinced that he’s going to make a deal. 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.”
Should the meeting not go well and Putin doesn’t move forward with peace talks, President Trump plans to go ahead with a range of sanctions against Russia. If the meeting goes well, Breitbart reported that President Trump explained, “depending on what happens with my meeting, I’m going to be calling up President Zelensky and let’s get him over to wherever we’re going to meet.”
President Trump added, “I don’t know where we’re going to have the second meeting, but we have an idea of three different locations. Including the possibility, because it would be by far the easiest, of staying in Alaska.”
