Donald Trump opposed the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Alaska due to fears of disrupting negotiations, writes The Wall Street Journal. At the same time, he promised European and Ukrainian partners not to discuss territorial issues without Ukraine, focusing on the ceasefire issue.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron reported on the agreement and the common position of the EU and the USA: 'At present, no serious territorial exchange schemes are being discussed'.
As the publication notes, initially European officials sought direct representation at the meeting in Alaska, proposing the candidacy of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte or another European leader, as well as Zelensky.
However, after phone conversations between Merz and Trump, Europeans abandoned this demand, publicly urging Zelensky to participate in any negotiations with Putin only after the meeting in Alaska.
Trump expressed concern that Zelensky's presence at the very beginning might disrupt negotiations, notes WSJ. At the same time, according to German officials who organized the conference, Trump agreed that after meeting with Putin, he would first inform Zelensky and then the European leaders who participated in the meeting on Wednesday.
As reported by Russian state agencies, a special flight squadron 'Russia' plane flew from Moscow to Anchorage, where a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is scheduled. The meeting will be held in the '5 on 5' format, said Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov. In addition to him, the Russian delegation will include the head of RDIF Kirill Dmitriev, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov.