WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said on Aug. 11 that he will use his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to learn the Kremlin’s “parameters” for ending the war in Ukraine and determine whether there is a realistic path to peace.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet face to face on Aug. 15 in Alaska to hold talks on ending the more than three-year war in Ukraine.
Speaking during a press conference at the White House, Trump said he would brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders after his meeting and possibly arrange direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
“I’m going to meet with him. We’re going to see what the parameters are,” Trump said. “I’m then going to call up President Zelenskyy and the European leaders right after the meeting.”
According to Trump, negotiations may bring both positive and negative outcomes for Ukraine, potentially involving land swaps and changes.
“It’s very complex,” Trump said. “Because you have lines that are very uneven, and there’ll be some swapping, there’ll be some changes in land.”
Trump also criticized Zelenskyy for saying he needs constitutional approval for a land swap, noting the irony that he can go into war without such approval.
“There are those that believe that Putin wanted all of Ukraine. I happen to be one of them,” Trump said.
He said that land swaps could be part of a peace deal, acknowledging Russia’s occupation of valuable Ukrainian territory, especially coastal areas.
“Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine,” he said.
“They’ve taken largely ocean, you know. In real estate, we call it ocean front property, that’s always the most valuable property.”
Trump noted that Ukraine once had nearly 1,000 miles of coastline but that most is now under Russian control, leaving only a small area around Odessa.
“There’s just a little bit of water left,” he said.
Next Steps
During the press conference, the president said he would assess Putin’s proposal before deciding on the next steps.
“If it’s a fair deal, I’ll reveal it to the European Union leaders and to the NATO leaders, and also to President Zelenskyy,” Trump said. “And I may say, ‘Lots of luck, keep fighting.’ Or I may say, ‘We can make a deal.’”
Trump also mentioned the possibility of facilitating a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
“I want to have a meeting set up between the two leaders,” he said. “Ultimately, I’m going to put the two of them in a room, I’ll be there or won’t be there, and I think it’ll get solved.”
Trump announced the details of his upcoming meeting with Putin on Truth Social on Aug. 8.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” he wrote.
The meeting follows Trump’s imposition of an additional 25 percent tariff on India for purchasing oil from Russia, raising the total rate to 50 percent.
The new tariff rate on India is now the highest among those imposed on U.S. trading partners. Trump said that following this move, the Kremlin reached out to initiate talks.
“That was a big blow,” Trump told reporters.
“I was all set to do things far bigger than that, but I got a call that they’d like to meet, and I’m going to see what they want to meet about.
“I’d like to see a cease-fire. I’d like to see the best deal that could be made for both parties. You know, it takes two to tango.”
Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.
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