World News
White House Weighs Inviting Zelenskyy to Alaska During Trump-Putin Talks
The White House is considering inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Alaska, where US President Donald Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, according to a senior American official and three people briefed on the discussions.
“It’s being discussed,” said one source familiar with the matter, though no final decision has been made on whether Zelenskyy will attend.
A senior administration official described the visit as “absolutely” possible, noting, “Everyone is very hopeful that would happen.” While the White House has not confirmed an official invitation, the official said Trump remains open to a trilateral summit. “Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin,” the official added.
Zelenskyy’s office has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Trump announced on Friday that he will meet Putin in Alaska on August 15 as part of efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine. Initially, the White House had made a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting a precondition for talks with the Russian leader, but Trump later dropped that requirement.
It remains unclear whether Zelenskyy and Putin would meet face-to-face if the Ukrainian president attends.
The flurry of diplomacy follows a visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, ahead of a Friday deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire or face fresh sanctions. While the Russian leader has not accepted the proposal, he has suggested terms that would allow Moscow to retain large areas of occupied Ukrainian territory a condition rejected by Kyiv.
Zelenskyy declared on Saturday that Ukrainians “will not give their land to occupiers,” while Trump suggested “there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
Administration officials are now working to rally Ukrainian and European backing for a potential ceasefire plan before the Alaska talks.
