Putin already 'diluting' Trump’s pitch ahead of high-stakes summit: report

President Donald Trump heads to Alaska on Friday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the goals of the "summit" appear to be completely different, depending on which leader is speaking.

Trump addressed reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, stating that the goal is to reach a ceasefire, or at the very least, hold a preliminary meeting to facilitate a ceasefire.

Putin has a different take, however.

According to the New York Times, the two countries will focus on trade and arms control, with only a little conversation about Ukraine.

Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters it was “obvious to everyone that the central topic will be the settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”

“But, of course, broader issues of ensuring peace and security, as well as current and most pressing international and regional issues, will also be touched upon,” he added.

“An exchange of views is expected on the further development of bilateral cooperation, including in the trade and economic sphere,” Ushakov said. “I would like to note that this cooperation has a huge and, unfortunately, untapped potential.”

The summit marks the first between Trump and Putin since June 2021, and comes after Putin has lost over 1 million Russian soldiers in the war, including many high-level generals.

The talks are being treated as a high-stakes chess game to set the stage for future negotiations; however, Putin's demands for a ceasefire or a peace deal haven't changed since the invasion. He wants to own the Ukrainian territory he invaded, including the eastern part of the country and Crimea.

The Times noted that remarks by Putin and his foreign policy aide highlighted how Moscow has "tried to dilute discussions about ending the fighting in Ukraine by packaging them together with other bilateral issues."

Read the full report here.