White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday discussed identifiable objectives in President Trump’s anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting the importance of the two leaders’ face-to-face discussion.
“I think the President of the United States getting in the room with the President of Russia – sitting face to face rather than speaking over the telephone – will give the president the best indication of how to end this war and where this is headed,” she said during a press briefing.
Leavitt confirmed that this meeting between leaders came about after President Putin requested it. “The goal of this meeting for the president is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war,” she stated.
Trump will travel to Anchorage, Alaska, for the bilateral meeting with Putin, which will address the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine – a conflict that started during the Biden administration.
One member of the press asked why Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was not invited to this meeting.
“The president said at this podium yesterday…that he hopes in the future there can be a trilateral meeting with these three leaders to finally bring this conflict to an end,” she explained.
During a press conference on Monday, Trump addressed the upcoming meeting with Putin, noting that he would know “probably in the first two minutes” whether “a deal can be made.”
A reporter asked how he would know. “Because that’s what I do, I make deals,” he replied.
He also said he is prepared to walk away from the meeting and say “good luck” to Putin if the situation is unacceptable.
Trump’s trip to Alaska on Friday will be his first visit back to the state since his re-election in 2024. It is also the first time Putin will visit the state, which ironically was purchased by the U.S. from Russia in 1867.