Potential Invitation for Ukrainian Leader to Alaska Summit

The White House is considering the possibility of inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to an upcoming high-level meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, scheduled for next week. Discussions are ongoing about including Zelensky in the summit as the leaders prepare for in-person talks aimed at resolving Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted over 41 months.

A senior official indicated that the idea of bringing Zelensky to the summit is “being discussed” and that there is significant hope among officials that the Ukrainian president might attend. If invited, it remains uncertain whether Zelensky and Putin would meet directly or simply participate in the same event.

This summit would mark the first face-to-face encounter between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin since 2019, when they met at the G-20 summit in Osaka. Recently, Trump suggested he might be willing to meet Putin personally before involving Zelensky, but the White House clarified that no such arrangements have been finalized. A White House spokesperson emphasized that current efforts are focused on organizing the bilateral meeting requested by Putin.

The White House expressed openness to a three-way summit involving Zelensky, but emphasized that their current priority remains the planned bilateral talks with Putin. The decision on Zelensky’s participation hinges on diplomatic negotiations, with officials hopeful the Ukrainian leader will join the discussions.