White House Explains Zelenskyy’s Absence from Trump-Putin Talks/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy present. The White House says the meeting was arranged at Putin’s request to assess prospects for ending the war. Zelenskyy and European allies insist peace talks without Ukraine are unacceptable.
Trump–Putin–Zelenskyy Meeting Quick Looks
- Trump and Putin to meet in Anchorage, Alaska, August 15.
- White House says Putin requested meeting; Zelenskyy not invited.
- Goal is for Trump to gauge Putin’s seriousness on peace talks.
- Zelenskyy says decisions without Ukraine are “dead decisions.”
- European leaders support Ukraine’s inclusion in any peace process.
- Trump hints at possible “land swapping” as part of a deal.
- Trump vows to brief Zelenskyy, NATO, and EU after meeting.
- Leavitt: meeting could explore deal or test feasibility.
- Location chosen after discussions of other possible sites.
- Alaska meeting marks Putin’s first U.S. visit in a decade.
White House Explains Zelenskyy’s Absence from Trump-Putin Talks
Deep Look
President Donald Trump will hold high-stakes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15 to discuss the war in Ukraine — without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the table. The White House says the absence is deliberate, as the meeting was arranged at Putin’s request.
“The president is agreeing to this meeting, at the request of President Putin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “The goal of this meeting for the president is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war.”
According to Leavitt, Trump believes that meeting face-to-face with Putin, rather than relying on phone calls, will provide the clearest sense of whether a peace deal is realistic and where negotiations might lead.
Zelenskyy Pushes Back
Zelenskyy has been vocal in rejecting any arrangement that excludes Ukraine from the decision-making process.
“Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine — they are simultaneously decisions against peace,” he said Saturday. “These are dead decisions; they will never work. And what we all need is a real, living peace, one that people will respect.”
That view is backed by several European leaders, who issued a joint statement over the weekend declaring that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
Trump’s Position on Peace Talks
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump said he expects to know “within minutes” of sitting down with Putin whether the Russian leader is serious about reaching an agreement. He acknowledged that resolving the conflict might require addressing “land swapping” issues — a controversial concept that could involve changes to Ukraine’s borders.
“If it’s a fair deal, I will reveal it to the European Union leaders and the NATO leaders and also to President Zelenskyy,” Trump said. “I may say, ‘lots of luck, keep fighting,’ or I may say we can make a deal.”
Trump emphasized that he intends to keep Zelenskyy and key allies informed after the meeting, regardless of whether it leads directly to an agreement.
White House Perspective
Leavitt said the administration sees the Alaska summit as both a chance to explore the possibility of a peace deal and an opportunity to test whether talks are even worth pursuing. “The president has always said he wants a peace deal,” she noted. “But this bilateral meeting is a bilateral meeting between one party in this two-party war. You need both countries to agree to a deal.”
The decision to hold the talks in Anchorage was made after multiple venues were discussed. Despite Trump’s earlier suggestion that the meeting could take place in Russia, Leavitt said Alaska was chosen because “it is a state within the United States of America” and the president was “very honored” to host Putin on American soil.
Symbolism and Stakes
The Alaska meeting will be Putin’s first visit to the U.S. in a decade and comes amid intensified fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have recently made advances near key cities. Analysts say the optics of excluding Zelenskyy could embolden Moscow, though the White House insists the summit is a preliminary step rather than a final negotiation.
For Zelenskyy, the challenge is to maintain international backing while preventing any outcome that might pressure Ukraine into concessions it opposes. For Trump, the meeting is an opportunity to test his belief that personal diplomacy can break the deadlock — or to walk away convinced that further talks are pointless.
With both sides of the war entrenched and key allies watching closely, the Alaska summit is likely to be less about striking an immediate peace deal and more about setting the tone for what comes next.
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