Putin Is Ready to Make Ukraine Peace deal - Trump

Donald Trump has said he believes Vladimir Putin is now prepared to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine, ahead of their scheduled summit in Alaska on Friday. However, his remark that Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy could “divvy things up” is likely to cause unease in Kyiv.

Speaking before leaving the White House at 7:30am on Friday, Trump estimated there was a 75% chance the talks would succeed, suggesting that economic sanctions may have pushed Putin towards compromise.

Posting “HIGH STAKES!!!” on Truth Social, he stressed he would quickly assess if the meeting was going well. “I’ll know within two to five minutes whether it’s good or bad,” he said. “If it’s bad, it’ll end fast. If it’s good, we could have peace in the near future.”

Trump said a second, not yet confirmed, meeting between himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy would be more decisive, hinting it might involve territorial concessions to Russia — potentially including land not yet under Moscow’s control. He suggested this trilateral meeting could also take place in Alaska “soon” after the summit.

Any such encounter would be a significant concession from Putin, who refuses to recognise Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s legitimate leader. Trump admitted he was unsure if a ceasefire could be secured immediately but insisted Putin now seemed intent on making a deal.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, spent Thursday in London with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reviewing a recent video call between European leaders and Trump. While reassured by Trump’s apparent focus on securing a ceasefire, European leaders remain wary of his unpredictable approach.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that shifts on the battlefield could complicate peace efforts, saying security guarantees would be essential. Trump has previously rejected such guarantees, but European-led options remain possible. Rubio noted Trump had spoken to Putin by phone four times and now wanted to “look him in the eye” to determine what was feasible.

Starmer and Zelenskyy expressed “cautious optimism” about a truce, contingent on Putin demonstrating genuine commitment. On Wednesday, Starmer had co-chaired a European-led meeting on deploying a peacekeeping force to enforce any deal.

Public displays of UK support continued, with Starmer embracing Zelenskyy outside Downing Street. Britain is also preparing new sanctions if Russia resists peace efforts. Trump has warned of “very severe consequences” if Putin rejects a ceasefire, hinting at stronger US sanctions on Russian oil, though he has so far held back.

While the UK hopes for targeted new measures, Moscow has indicated it wants the summit to also focus on reviving US-Russian economic ties — potentially easing pressure on its economy. Some European officials were encouraged by US vice-president JD Vance’s grasp of the situation and signs that the US might join European security guarantees for Ukraine if a deal is reached.

The Alaska summit will start at 11:30am local time (8:30pm BST) with a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin, followed by expanded talks. The Russian delegation will include foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, defence minister Andrei Belousov, finance minister Anton Siluanov, sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev, and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.