Washington (TDI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday to prepare for the upcoming meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the State Department confirmed.
The summit, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, was requested by Putin, according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. She said both sides “confirmed their commitment to a successful event.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the meeting as a “personal victory” for Putin, who has faced Western isolation since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In a radio interview earlier in the day, Rubio defended the decision to hold the talks, stressing that for Trump, meeting an adversary “is not a concession.” He said the president believes in sitting across the table from his counterpart to make a direct assessment.
Read More: Trump Ready to Meet Putin, Sidelines Zelensky Prerequisite
Trump has floated the idea that any peace settlement might involve “some swapping of territories,” a suggestion that has raised alarm in Kyiv and among European allies, as all disputed areas are within Ukraine’s borders. Zelensky and EU leaders fear such an approach could pressure Ukraine into making disproportionate concessions.
The Trump administration has played down expectations for any breakthrough in Alaska, describing the meeting as a “listening exercise.”
Zelensky and other European leaders insist that no lasting peace can be achieved without Ukraine’s participation in negotiations, and that any deal must uphold international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. They are scheduled to meet with Trump virtually on Wednesday to reiterate their concerns ahead of the summit, the first US–Russia presidential meeting since 2021.
“An imitation of peace, rather than a genuine settlement, will not hold and will only embolden Russia to seize more territory,” Zelensky said in a statement, adding that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire before territorial matters can be discussed.
Read More: Trump-Putin Meeting Over Ukraine May Happen Next Week
The White House said Zelensky was not invited to Alaska because the meeting was conceived as a bilateral exchange following Putin’s request. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the aim was for Trump “to get a more firm understanding” of Russia’s position.
“You need both countries to agree to a deal,” Leavitt said, “but this meeting is about hearing directly from one of the parties to the conflict and exploring possible ways to bring the war to an end.”
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight. He is a seasoned journalist and analyst with over a decade of experience in the media industry. He has deep expertise in national politics and international relations and regularly contributes as an analyst to national and international media outlets.
