The White House is reducing expectations for any breakthrough from President Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit is not meant to bring an end to the fighting in Ukraine, using terms like “listening session” and “feel-out meeting” to describe the planned discussion. Trump and his team have largely avoided predicting any deliverables and noted that it will likely take a follow-up summit involving both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for any concrete progress on a ceasefire. Trump is expected to meet one-on-one with Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, but other logistics are still being sorted out. Trump is a wild card in Friday’s meeting, and some critics argue that he is giving Putin a win by holding the meeting on U.S. soil without Zelensky or leadership from Ukraine present. European allies have approached Friday’s meeting with caution, expressing appreciation for Trump’s efforts while bracing for the possibility that he may go off script.
The White House has set a low bar for the upcoming summit between Trump and Putin.
