Trump says he expects Putin to make deal at Alaska summit

He said this on Fox Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show, CNN reports.

“I believe now he’s convinced that he’s going to make a deal. He’s going to make a deal. I think he’s going to. And we’re going to find out — I’m going to know very quickly,” the U.S. president said.

He noted that his goal during negotiations with Putin would be to move toward a trilateral meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with three potential locations proposed, including Alaska.

“If it’s a bad meeting, I’m not calling anybody — I’m going home. … But if it’s a good meeting, I’m going to call President Zelenskyy and the European leaders,” Trump said.

The U.S. leader gave an evasive answer when asked whether he would offer Russia economic incentives during the meeting.

“Well, I’d rather not say because I don’t want to play my hand in public,” he said. “Whatever my hand is, economic incentives — and disincentives maybe — are more important, in a way, but incentives economically, you know.”

At the same time, Trump allows for the possibility that the meeting could be unsuccessful, putting the likelihood of such an outcome at 25%. He emphasized that his summit with Putin is setting the stage for a subsequent meeting where a deal could be reached and where compromises on land and borders might be discussed.

“This meeting sets up the second meeting, but there is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting,” the U.S. leader said. He also described Friday’s talks as being “like a chess game.”

Trump also expressed readiness to impose additional sanctions on Russia if the meeting does not end successfully. “I would, yeah. … If it’s not solved,” he added.

• On August 13 in Berlin, online talks were held between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the leaders of EU countries.

• That same day, it became known that Donald Trump intends to discuss sanctions with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Alaska.

• On August 14, Putin’s team made a series of statements about the summit with Trump, including when the talks are scheduled, their agenda, and who will be part of the Russian delegation.

• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the meeting with the Russian dictator in Alaska will be an opportunity for Donald Trump to look Putin in the eye and see what progress can be made toward a settlement in Ukraine.