Trump and Putin to discuss Ukraine ‘land swap’ at meetingpublished at 17:29 British Summer Time
17:29 BST
Media caption,
Trump: ‘There will be some swapping, there will be some changes in land’
During the news conference, Trump spoke at length about his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
He says he finds it “very respectful” that the Russian president is meeting him on US soil, and he thinks the pair will have “constructive conversations” on Friday.
But his comments on a possible “land swap” with Ukraine might not please President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has insisted his country will not give up any land as part of a peace agreement.
Trump says there will be “some land swapping” and “some changes in land” as part of a deal. He knows this “through Russia and through conversations with everybody”.
This “land swap” will be “for the good of Ukraine”, he says. “Good stuff, not bad stuff.”
But then, perhaps less reassuringly: “Also, some bad stuff for both.”
Asked if Zelensky was invited to Friday’s meeting, Trump says Ukraine’s president “wasn’t a part of it” but that he “could go” if he wanted to.
Trump says he hopes to set up a future meeting between Zelensky and Putin, and offers to join the pair “if they need”.
If Putin proposes a “fair deal” during Friday’s talks, Trump says he will convey it to European leaders, including (as his first call) Zelensky.
“Probably in the first two minutes I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” he adds. A reporter asks how he will know.
“Because that’s what I do, I make deals,” he says.