Hegseth: Putin agreed to meet Trump because he feels U.S. pressure

He said this in an interview with Fox News.

Hegseth emphasized that Trump managed to create conditions for negotiations, something his predecessors could not achieve.

In his view, Putin never took former U.S. President Joe Biden seriously, and only Trump’s decisive actions changed the circumstances and “rules of the game,” forcing the Russian leader to engage.

“He created the conditions for a possible negotiated settlement, which was his goal from the very beginning, in a very complex battlefield situation. I don’t think Vladimir Putin would be meeting unless he felt that heat. And I think there’s a chance,” Hegseth stressed.

At the same time, Hegseth acknowledged that territorial concessions might be discussed during the talks.

“There may be land swap, there may be concessions. No one is going to be happy, but if anyone can do it, it will be President Trump,” he said.

When asked if he would attend the Trump–Putin meeting in Alaska, Hegseth replied: “I don’t know. We’ll see what my calendar looks like. Possibly.”

Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier announced he would meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.

When touching on what he would discuss with Putin regarding conditions for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, Trump previously raised the idea of “some land swaps.”

Diplomatic consultations between Ukraine and the United States ahead of the summit have been taking place virtually around the clock. Meanwhile, The New York Times writes that the U.S. Secret Service booked a six-room house in Anchorage, where the meeting between Trump and Putin will likely take place.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Ukraine and Russia would have to exchange some territories after Kyiv receives security guarantees.

It later became known that European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold a phone call with Trump before his meeting with Russian leader Putin.

On August 11, Trump made a series of statements regarding the war in Ukraine and his meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.