DONALD Trump has revealed details for the highly-anticipated crunch talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
The US President described the upcoming talks as a “feel-out meeting” – and said that his Russian counterpart wants to get the war “over with”.
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He also told reporters that he would tell Putin: “You’ve got to end this war, you’ve got to end it.”
The historic showdown scheduled for August 15 will mark the first time the pair have met since June 2019, with the White House still weighing up whether or not to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump is also set to dial in with European leaders including Zelensky on Wednesday for an emergency summit in preparation for the Putin meeting.
He said he would call European leaders “who I get along with very well” after leaving the talks.
It comes as a top Vladimir Putin crony urged the tyrant to end his war in Ukraine – just days before crunch talks with Donald Trump, reports say.
The Deputy Head of Putin’s administration, Dmitry Kozak, has reportedly encouraged the Russian leader to halt the invasion and begin peace talks.
It comes after sources close to the US President said that they were “very hopeful” Ukraine’s leader would be invited to the highly-anticipated talks.
One senior administration official told NBC News that a trilateral meeting remains “absolutely” possible.
Another official briefed on White House conversations said: “It’s being discussed.”
It is believed that no official invite has been talked about with Kyiv as of yet.
A senior White House official explained: “Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin.”
Zelensky has already been adamant that he must be involved in any peace talks as they directly impact on the future of his country.
Speaking last week, the brave leader said any pact struck without Kyiv’s involvement would be “stillborn decisions against peace” and would fail before they even began.
“Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace,” he said.
“They will not achieve anything.”
His powerful stance has now been echoed by European leaders.
Sir Keir Starmer and the leaders of France, Italy, Poland, Finland and the EU all issued a stark warning saying there can be no peace without Ukraine.
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Longtime Putin ally Kozak, 66, is said to have stepped out of line after years of being secretly opposed to the war, the New York Times reported.
He is believed to have presented a plan to end the fighting, which even included proposals for internal reforms.
Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Kozak warned the Russian president about the risks of fierce Ukrainian resistance.
He also tried but failed to negotiate a working truce after the war started.
Western officials claimed that Kozak continued to contact them over the last few years, seeking arguments that might sway Putin.
The top Russian aide managed the integration of Crimea into Russia after it was annexed in 2014.
Who is Dmitry Kozak?
by Harvey Geh
LONGTIME Putin ally Dmitry Kozak rose from a St. Petersburg prosecutor to deputy head of Putin’s administration through close ties with the Russian President.
Born in what was Soviet Ukraine, he served in GRU special forces before training as a lawyer.
He has managed crucial projects like the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the integration of Crimea after it was annexed.
In 2020 he became Russia’s lead envoy to Kyiv, negotiating over Donbas and Transnistria.
Kozak privately warned Putin that invading Ukraine was a mistake, and after proposing a peace deal.
He has been sidelined since his secret opposition to the war.
Many of his duties have been slowly handed off to his de-facto replacement Sergei Kiriyenko.
Because of his central role in Crimea’s annexation and Ukraine destabilisation, Kozak faces sanctions from the UK, EU and US.
He also managed preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
But the top official has lost much of his political influence since Putin’s bloody invasion.
The call with European leaders on Wednesday has been organised by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as European leaders desperately scramble to get their message across to Trump.
The online summit will reportedly focus on how to put pressure on Russia, how to deal with Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the prospect of potential peace talks.
European leaders have made it clear that Putin must first agree to a ceasefire before any peace talks can take place.
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