Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said, Russia will make its position clear during the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska tonight. Talking to a TV channel upon his arrival in Alaska, Lavrov said, they are not planning anything in advance but they would make their arguments clear. He noted that significant groundwork for the meeting had been laid during the visit of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, to Russia. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said, the meeting between Putin and Trump will begin with a one-on-one session involving only the two leaders and their interpreters, followed by expanded talks joined by five delegates from each side. Ushakov said, the talks will focus on resolving the Ukraine crisis, as well as addressing broader tasks for ensuring peace and security, and current and most pressing international and regional issues.
This will be their first meeting since Trump’s return to the White House in January this year. Ahead of the summit, Trump said, he believes Putin is ready to end the war in Ukraine, but peace would likely require at least a second meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meanwhile, Zelensky said, it is important that the Russia-U.S. summit in Alaska opens up a path towards a just peace, as well as substantive three-way talks between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the United States. He added that it is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia.
