US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold their long-awaited meeting at a US military base in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, the American television ABC News reported, citing a White House official, BTA reports.
The meeting at the joint military base "Elmendorf-Richardson" will be the first of Trump's second term, and during the conversation the American president will seek to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
CNN television was the first to report the location of the meeting, which the Russians point to because of its historical significance - the United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire 158 years ago.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio today described the upcoming meeting as "exploratory" and said that it is "not a concession" to Putin.
"We will find out very quickly during this meeting whether there is any chance of success or not," he added.
In response to a question about whether Zelensky had been invited, Trump said on Monday that he "will not be a part" of the meeting.
"I would say he could go, but he's been to a lot of meetings. You know, he's been there for three and a half years – nothing happened," Trump said.
The US president, his Vice President J.D. Vance and European leaders will hold a virtual conversation this afternoon. Zelensky and Ukrainian authorities have said several times that they will not hand over territory that was illegally annexed by Russia.
Last week, Trump said that Ukraine and Russia would most likely "swap" pieces of territory as part of a peace deal.
"It's actually not easy at all. It's very complicated," Trump said at the time.
During his election campaign, he repeatedly stressed that he would end the war within the first 24 hours of his second term. At a presidential debate in September last year, Trump even said that he could resolve the conflict "before I even become president."