Trump says he will try to get 'prime' Ukrainian territory back ahead of meeting with Putin
US President Donald Trump has said he will try to get back some of the Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine in peace talks with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
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The American leader claimed at a press conference on Monday that he would know within minutes whether he would be able to make progress on ending the war with Putin.
He thinks that the talks "will be good, but it might be bad", and is viewing the Friday talks as a "feel-out meeting".
"Russia's occupied a big portion of Ukraine," said Trump.
"They occupied prime territory. We're going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine," he told a news conference."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not been invited to join the talks but says no decisions on "Ukraine's future and the security of our people" can be made without the inclusion of the nation.
Read more: Trump confirms Zelenskyy will not attend key peace summit with Putin in Alaska
In an address shared on social media, the president said that Putin views the meeting as a chance to declare a personal victory but nothing will change.
The Russian military is not acting as if they are preparing to stand down, he said.
"So far, there is no indication whatsoever that the Russians have received signals to prepare for a post-war situation.
"On the contrary, they are redeploying their troops and forces in ways that suggest preparations for new offensive operations. If someone is preparing for peace, this is not what he does."
Sir Keir Starmer and Canada’s Mark Carney both welcomed Donald Trump’s efforts to "bring peace" in Ukraine, during a phone call on Monday.
The two leaders agreed peace "must be built with Ukraine – not imposed upon it", according to No 10.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney this afternoon.
"They discussed their unwavering support for Ukraine and ongoing work to stop the killing, and end Russia’s war of aggression. Both leaders underscored that Ukraine’s future must be one of freedom, sovereignty and self-determination.
"They welcomed continued international efforts, led by President Trump, to bring peace and agreed that this must be built with Ukraine – not imposed upon it.
"Both leaders agreed they would continue to work closely with President Trump and President Zelensky over the coming days. They agreed to stay in touch.”
Trump told the press conference on Monday that he aims to get the leaders of the two countries together in a room and "it'll get solved", whether Trump is there or not.
He added that Zelenskyy's presence in talks hasn't led to any conclusions regarding an end to the conflict.
"I would say he could go, but he's gone to a lot of meetings, he's been there for three-and-a-half years and nothing happened."
Trump has raised some eyebrows by mistakenly telling reporters that he will be meeting with Putin on Russian soil on Friday - an error he made twice.
Alaska was previously Russian territory but was sold to the US in 1867 for $7.2 million, which would be worth approximately $162 million in 2024.
But, towards the end of the press conference, he righted his mistake, saying that he believed it was "very respectful" of Putin to travel to America for the talks.
He said: "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, third party place."