



The White House is said to be considering inviting Volodymyr Zelensky to Alaska for the peace talks scheduled to take place on Friday.
Donald Trump announced the planned meeting with Putin on Friday night, confirming what will be the first time US and Russian leaders have met since 2021.
A senior US official and three people briefed on the internal discussions stated Zelensky could be invited, despite previous suggestions this would not be the case.
While nothing has been finalised, the senior administration official said it is "absolutely" possible, and "everyone is very hopeful that would happen".
Asked whether Zelensky had been officially invited, a White House official said: "The President remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders.
"Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin."
The US President has stated Putin meeting with Zelensky is not a precondition for for the US-Russia meeting to take place.
GETTY
|The White House is said to be considering inviting Volodymyr Zelensky to Alaska for the peace talks scheduled to take place on Friday
Even if Zelensky was to travel to Alaska, someone briefed on the discussions said it is not clear if he and Putin would ever be in the same room.
It comes as European leaders released a statement regarding Trump's proposed talks with Putin.
Released on Saturday evening, the joint statement from the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the EU said: "We welcome President Trump's work to stop the killing in Ukraine, end the Russian Federation's war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine.
"We are convinced that only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed."
REUTERS |
Donald Trump revealed he will meet with Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska
However, it also added: "The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine."
Just hours before formally announcing the peace talks, Trump stated "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both sides" will be included in a peace deal for Ukraine.
Moscow had previously proposed an agreement to a ceasefire which would allow Russia to keep large sections of Ukrainian territory.
However, Zelensky said Ukrainians "will not give their land to occupiers".
The European leaders' statement read: "We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests."
It added: "We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.
"The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations."
Russia currently holds approximately 20 per cent of Ukraine, including four regions which have been illegally annexed - Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.