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WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that he plans to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop his invasion of Ukraine when they meet Friday in Alaska — and that he will include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the “next meeting.”

“I’m going to be telling him, ‘You’ve got to end this war,’” Trump said at a White House press conference where he announced plans to federalize local police as a part of a crime crackdown in Washington, DC.

Trump confirmed that Zelensky would not be included in this week’s summit — but promised that he would call Kyiv and European leaders after meeting with Putin if the sitdown goes well.


  Trump said he’ll tell Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine. AFP via Getty Images Trump said he’ll tell Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine. AFP via Getty Images

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference as part of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025. Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference as part of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025. Getty Images

“The next meeting will be with Zelensky and Putin, or Zelensky, Putin and me,” Trump said. “I want to arrange a meeting between the two leaders.”

Last week’s announcement that Putin would agree to a summit on US soil came as a surprise to foreign policy observers, some of whom had floated Hungary, Switzerland, Turkey or the United Arab Emirates as possible locations.

“I thought it was very respectful that the president of Russia is coming to our country, as opposed to us going to his country or even a third place,” Trump said Monday.

The president reaffirmed Monday that any peace deal to end the 41-month-old invasion by Moscow would include changes to territorial lines that Ukraine has bitterly resisted.

“There’ll be some swapping, there’ll be some changes in land,” he said, adding “we’re going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”

Under Kyiv’s constitution, the ceding of territory must be approved by a nationwide referendum, a fact that Trump expressed frustration with Monday. 


  A map of the land in Ukraine controlled by Russia. NY Post Design A map of the land in Ukraine controlled by Russia. NY Post Design

“I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, ‘Well, I have to get constitutional approval,’” Trump groused.

“I mean, he’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap.”

In a separate remark, Trump told reporters that “I get along with Zelensky, but you know, I disagree with what he’s done, very very severely” — without specifying what the Ukrainian president had done to cause offense. 


  Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with the governor of Omsk region Vitaly Khotsenko during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. AP Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with the governor of Omsk region Vitaly Khotsenko during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. AP

Trump also noted he spoke to Russia-friendly Hungarian President Viktor Orban about the possibility of Ukraine winning a war against Russia — a theory the Hungarian leader scoffed at. 

“He looked at me like, ‘What a stupid question,’” Trump said of his conversation with Orban, who the US president called a “very, very smart man.”

“He said, ‘Russia is a massive country, and they win their country, and they win their life through wars,’” Trump went on. 


  Trump and Putin shake hands in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. Getty Images Trump and Putin shake hands in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. Getty Images

The Alaska meeting will be the first time Trump has seen Putin in his second term, and the first time a US president has spoken to the Russian leader face-to-face since his invasion of Ukraine. 

While Trump said he has gotten “along with Putin,” he also reiterated his exasperation at the Russian leader for not backing up his claim that he wants to end the war with actions. 

“I’ve been disappointed, because I’d have a great call with him, and then missiles would be lobbed into Kyiv or some other place, and you’d have 60 people laying on a road dying.”


  A Ukrainian soldier in Kostyantynivka, Ukraine, on Monday, August 11, 2025. Getty Images A Ukrainian soldier in Kostyantynivka, Ukraine, on Monday, August 11, 2025. Getty Images

Trump predicted he would know “within two minutes” whether the summit would be a success, and promised that he could walk away from negotiations altogether if the meeting goes awry. 

“Now I may leave and say, ‘Good luck,’ and that’ll be the end. I may say, ‘This is not going to be settled.’”

The mission, Trump said, is to see what Putin “has in mind” for a deal, hopefully one that other leaders can get on board with. 


  Trump will be meeting with Putin for the frist time in his second term. REUTERS Trump will be meeting with Putin for the frist time in his second term. REUTERS

“We’ll get it done. I’d like to see a cease-fire very very quickly, very quick.”

“They’re not doing well, their economy is not doing well right now because it’s been very well disturbed by this,” Trump went on, claiming Putin had initially broached the possibility of a summit. 

The president noted that he was imposing a 50% tariff on India as Russia’s second largest energy importer — behind only China — and that that economic hit “was a big blow.”

“I was all set to do things far bigger than that, but I got a call that they’d like to meet, and I’m going to see what they want to meet about. I’d like to see a cease-fire. I’d like to see the best deal that could be made for both parties,” he said.

Trump said several times in his comments he would be “going to Russia,” but appeared to be misspeaking about going to Alaska, as no plans of him going to Russian territory have been announced.

The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Post Monday.

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