Trump Predicts 25% Chance of Failure at Putin Meeting

Ahead of his highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump has estimated a 25% chance that the summit could fail. The talks, set to take place this Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, will focus primarily on resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In an interview with Fox News Radio on Thursday, Trump acknowledged the potential for the meeting to fall short of success. "Yeah, 25%," he responded when asked about the chances of failure. "This meeting sets up the second meeting, but there’s a 25% chance this won’t be a successful one."

Trump also expressed hope that the summit would pave the way for a subsequent meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He emphasized the importance of a potential follow-up meeting, suggesting that it could be critical for forging a peace deal involving territorial exchanges, including land swaps.

Earlier in the week, Trump hinted that territorial concessions could be part of any long-term solution to the Ukraine conflict, mentioning “land swapping” as a key element in a potential peace agreement.

Russian officials have expressed optimism about the talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s recent visit to Moscow had been productive and laid the groundwork for the upcoming summit.

Putin, for his part, praised the Trump administration’s “energetic and sincere efforts” to end the hostilities in Ukraine. He also noted that Washington was working toward creating a lasting peace between the US, Russia, and Europe as a whole.