Pres. Trump pushes for Ukraine ceasefire

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Days before his summit in Alaska, President Donald Trump says he wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a cease-fire in Ukraine.

President Trump says his summit in Alaska has two primary goals: to get a cease-fire quickly in place and have Russian President Putin make some territorial concessions.

President Trump in the White House Briefing Room laid out his initial message to his Russian counterpart.

“So I’m going in to speak to Vladimir Putin, and I’m going to be telling him, you got to end this war, you got to end it.”

The President said his upcoming Summit in Alaska could have two very different results.

“Now, I think one of two things is going to happen. It’s going to be a good meeting and we’ll go a step further. We’ll get it done. I’d like to see a cease fire very, very quickly, very quick. I’d like to see it immediately, but I’d like to see it very quickly.”

President Trump acknowledged that the meeting could also lead to no progress being made. And he indicated that Russia will need to make some territorial concessions.

“We’re going to change the lines. The battle lines. Russia’s occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”

As planning for the Alaska summit proceeds, Ukraine’s European allies are also setting up their own meetings, currently set for Wednesday. President Trump has indicated, he’ll likely know whether he can craft a deal with Russia’s Putin in the first few minutes of their summit.