Washington — President Trump said Monday that he expected to determine mere moments into his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week whether it would be possible to work out a deal to halt the war in Ukraine.
“At the end of that meeting, probably the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” Mr. Trump said at a White House press conference where he announced plans for a federal takeover of Washington’s police force to help combat crime.
He said he thought Friday’s sitdown with Putin in Alaska would be “really a feel-out meeting.” Mr. Trump added that “it’ll be good, but it might be bad” and predicted he may say, “lots of luck, keep fighting. Or I may say, we can make a deal.”
Putin wants to lock in Russia’s gains since invading Ukraine in February 2022 as Mr. Trump presses for a ceasefire that has remained out of reach. Mr. Trump’s eagerness to reach a deal has raised fears in Ukraine and Europe about such an agreement favoring Russia, without sufficient input from Ukraine. Mr. Trump has alternately harshly criticized both leaders after promising — and so far failing — to swiftly end the conflict.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told “Face the Nation” on Sunday that “it is important to see how serious Putin is, and the only one who can do that is President Trump.”
“It’s really crucial that a meeting takes place. It will not be the final say on this,” Rutte said. “Of course, Ukraine will have to be involved in Europe, but it is important to start the next phase of this process, putting pressure on the Russians, exactly as President Trump has been doing over the last six months.”
Mr. Trump on Monday ducked repeated chances to say that he would push for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was especially dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace.
He said the Ukrainian president had been to “a lot of meetings” without managing to halt a war that Russia started. Mr. Trump also noted that Zelenskyy had been in power for the duration of the war and said “nothing happened” during that time. He contrasted that with Putin, who has wielded power in Russia for decades.
Mr. Trump said that, after his meeting with Putin, “The next meeting will be with Zelenskyy and Putin” but it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me.”
European allies have pushed for Ukraine’s involvement, fearful that discussions could otherwise favor Moscow.
To that point, Mr. Trump said he would call Zelenskyy and European leaders after his discussion with Putin to “tell them what kind of a deal — I’m not going to make a deal. It’s not up to me to make a deal.”
Mr. Trump spent the early part of his administration decrying Zelenskyy, even suggesting he was a dictator because his country has not held elections during the war. Zelenskyy was hounded out of the Oval Office in February after Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance suggested he hadn’t been grateful enough for U.S. support.
More recently, Mr. Trump has expressed frustration with Putin that Russia hasn’t appeared to take a push for a ceasefire more seriously, and softened his tone toward Zelenskyy. His comments Monday suggested he might have had another change of heart.
“President Putin invited me to get involved,” Mr. Trump said. He noted that he thought it was “very respectful” that Putin is coming to the U.S. for Friday’s meeting, instead of insisting that Mr. Trump go to Russia.
“I’d like to see a ceasefire. I’d like to see the best deal that can be made for both parties,” Mr. Trump said.
Alex Brandon / AP 
The president repeated that any major agreement could involve land swaps, without elaborating. He had threatened Moscow with more economic sanctions if more isn’t done to work toward a ceasefire, but suggested Monday that, should Friday’s meeting be successful, he could see a day when the U.S. and Russia normalize trade relations.
Putin is expected to be unwavering in his demands to keep all the territory his forces now occupy and to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, with the long-term aim of returning it to Moscow’s sphere of influence.
Zelenskyy insists he will never consent to any formal Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory or give up a bid for NATO membership.
Putin believes he has the advantage on the ground as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russian advances along the 600-mile front. On the front lines, few Ukrainian soldiers believe there’s an end in sight to the war.
With the Europeans and Ukrainians so far not invited to the summit, Germany sought to prepare by inviting Mr. Trump, Zelenskyy, the NATO chief and several other European leaders for a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
The German chancellery said the talks would seek additional ways to pressure Russia and prepare for peace negotiations and “related issues of territorial claims and security.”
Steffen Meyer, spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said the German government “has always emphasized that borders must not be shifted by force” and that Ukraine should decide its own fate “independently and autonomously.”
Earlier, a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded two others in a region some 260 miles east of Moscow.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a total of 39 Ukrainian drones overnight and Monday morning over several Russian regions as well as over the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
