WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump likened his upcoming high-stakes Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to a "chess game" while predicting there's a "25% chance" the meeting could fail to advance peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump, in an Aug. 14 interview with conservative talk show host Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Radio, said he hopes his one-on-one meeting with Putin will lead to a second meeting between himself, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where the two sides can hammer out details for a peace deal.
"It’s like a chess game," Trump said. "This meeting sets up the second meeting, but there is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting."
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Trump suggested that Russia and Ukraine could "divvy things up" ‒ including land and boundaries ‒ during a second meeting, which has yet to be scheduled or agreed upon. Zelenskyy and Ukraine's European allies have stood firmly against Ukraine ceding significant territory seized by Russia in its three-year war on Ukraine.
"The second meeting is going to be very, very important because that’s going to be a meeting where they make a deal," Trump said. "And – I don’t want to use the word 'divvy' things up – but, you know, to a certain extent it’s not a bad term, OK? But there will be a give-and-take as to boundaries, land, etcetera, etcetera."
Addressing reporters later in the Oval Office, Trump said: "We're going to see what happens. And I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelenskyy will make peace."
Trump's meeting with Putin to include 'bilateral lunch,' possible joint news conference
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, appearing Aug. 14 on Fox News' Fox and Friends, said Trump's meeting with Putin will be followed by a "bilateral lunch" between the two leaders and their respective delegations followed by a news conference.
Trump suggested the two leaders could hold a joint press conference if the meeting is productive, but he said it will be a solo press conference if not.
"I think it might be nice to have a joint and then separates, so something like that will happen," Trump said to Kilmeade. "Or if the meeting doesn't end well, I'll just have a press conference and head out. I'll head back to Washington."
More: Trump threatens Russia with 'severe consequences,' teases Zelenskyy-Putin meeting
Trump is scheduled to leave Washington DC early in the morning on Aug. 15, flying across the continental United States on Air Force One, before landing in Anchorage. The meeting is set for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The base, established in the lead-up to World War II, is spread over 13,000 square acres.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Aug.13 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., warned there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin does not agree to end the Ukraine war when they meet. He has previously threatened to hit Russia with sanctions and tariffs if Putin does not end the fighting.
Ahead of his meeting with Putin, Trump met on Aug. 13 virtually with Zelenskyy and leaders of European countries who have urged Trump not to capitulate to Putin's demands during his solo meeting.
Leavitt said Trump wants to "sit down and look the president in the eye" during his meeting with Putin "and see what progress can be made to move the ball forward to end this brutal war and to restore peace."
Contributing: Francesca Chambers and Bart Jansen of USA TODAY
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says there's a chance his 'chess game' with Putin fails
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