Donald Trump believes that Vladimir Putin is ready for an agreement and that the threat of sanctions has probably played an important role in Moscow’s decision to ask for a meeting. The president said it in a radio interview, according to what reported by the Bloomberg agency. “We will do our best and I think that in the end we will get a good result,” Trump highlighted.
On the eve of the face to face with the Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump reported both the potential and the risks of the meeting, stating that there is a probability out of four that the talks fail completely.
In the radio interview mentioned by Bloomberg News, Trump said that if the meeting “goes badly”, “I will not call anyone”, underlining the fragility of the diplomatic moment. But if the talks in Alaska will take place positively, he added, his next call will be to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, in an attempt to open the way to a possible trilateral summit.
“Putin knows that I am the hardest person I ever had to deal with,” said Trump, presenting himself as the only one able to mediate to end the war in Ukraine. The president reiterated that a three -way vertex between him, Putin and Zelensky would be necessary to reach a lasting peace agreement.
In the meantime, the Kremlin has resized the expectations for the meeting in Alaska. Dmitry Peskov, Putin spokesman, told Tass state agency that there will be no joint written declaration at the end of the interviews. “Nothing has been prepared,” said Peskov. Instead, the two leaders will hold a joint press conference to illustrate any agreements achieved.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the President of the United States Donald Trump have the political will to solve the problems existing through dialogue, which cannot be said of the European leaders, Peskov said. “We are working on the basis of the political goodwill demonstrated by the presidents of the two countries, in order to resolve existing issues through dialogue,” he underlined. “This type of mutual political will is currently lacking and we see that it is unlikely to receive an adequate response, for example, from the Europeans”, accused Peskov. “President Putin and President Trump intend to dialogue and will discuss the most complex issues,” The spokesman.
The meeting represents one of the most observed diplomatic events of the Trump presidency, while Washington and Moscow continue to navigate a tense relationship, marked by the war in Ukraine, by economic sanctions and opposing security interests. The absence of a preordained press release suggests that both parties are leaving room for improvisation – or that no substantial agreement does not emerge.
For Trump, who often tried to present himself as a skilled negotiator on the world scene, the stakes are personal as well as geopolitical. That the talks in Alaska produce a turning point or another series of mutual accusations could depend not only on the dynamics between the two leaders, but also on the speed with which Zelensky will be involved in the process after the conclusion of the meeting.