Putin thinks he can ‘sway’ Trump

As President Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, one prominent U.S.-based group has warned that without the inclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin will have little opposition to “sway” Trump in his direction, Knewz.com can report. Trump has previously predicted that Russia could be ready to call for an end to the war.

Friday’s summit was the first face-to-face discussion between American and Russian leaders since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, and tensions were noticeably high. However, one key member missing from the meeting was Zelensky, who apparently wasn’t invited. That could play right into the hands of Putin and his goals. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst argued, “President Zelensky’s absence from the Alaska summit will confirm Putin’s conviction that he can sway the Trump Administration in his direction.” He further explained, “The U.S.–Russia Summit in Alaska is the next big step in the diplomacy surrounding Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine. Putin will seek Trump’s support for an agenda that focuses on the concessions Ukraine must make for a ceasefire. That, however, would undermine Trump’s efforts to achieve a durable peace that leaves Ukraine stable and secure.”

Before leaving for the summit, Trump hinted that he would come home with a peace deal. And even if he were unsuccessful, the president was already looking forward to a second summit – one with Zelensky at the table as well. “I think it’s going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we’re having,” the president told reporters. “We’re going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelensky, myself, and maybe we’ll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don’t know that.”

That would be a key inclusion, according to the U.S. group Razom for Ukraine. Mykola Murskyi, Advocacy Director at Razom for Ukraine, exclusively said in a statement, “No decisions about Ukraine can be made without Ukraine at the table. Ukrainians share President Trump’s goal of peace, but history shows that Putin will take an opportunity to rearm and prepare for his next offensive.” Trump has already publicly threatened Russia with “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to end the war. However, a top Russian advisor says foreign efforts are underway to discredit the summit. Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev wrote in a Telegram post, “Undoubtedly, a number of countries interested in continuing the conflict will make titanic efforts to disrupt the planned meeting between President Putin and President Trump.”

While the two leaders met, the fighting continued. CNN reported a Russian missile strike Friday morning killed a civilian in the suburbs of Dnipro city in central Ukraine. The missile was said to have damaged a truck and minibus in the area and left at least one person injured. A separate strike hit “civilian infrastructure” in the Sumy region bordering Russia, the news outlet reported. And two Ukrainian police officers were reportedly killed in Sviatohirsk in the eastern Donetsk region after their vehicle came under Russian fire, police said.