U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to strike a peace agreement with Ukraine, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelenskyy will make peace.” The remarks come one day before Trump and Putin are due to meet in Anchorage, Alaska, for their first bilateral summit since 2021. Trump cautioned that the Alaska talks are only a first step and estimated there is a “25% chance” they could fail. He proposed a follow-on meeting that would bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “maybe some European leaders” to the table, and warned of “severe consequences” and additional sanctions if Moscow resists a settlement. Trump framed the initiative as an effort to “save a lot of lives” and suggested the second round of negotiations could also be held in Alaska for logistical ease. In Moscow, Putin told senior officials the United States is making “energetic and sincere efforts” to end the conflict, and signaled he will raise nuclear arms control and broader security issues during the summit. European diplomats and Kyiv remain wary that any U.S.–Russia deal could cement Russia’s occupation of roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, now in its eleventh year of war. A joint press conference is planned after Friday’s meeting, the White House said.