US President Donald Trump was worried that Vladimir Zelenskyy’s presence could disrupt the negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
“After the phone conversations [of German Chancellor Friedrich – ed.] Merz and Trump [as well as other European leaders on August 13, 2025 – ed. The Europeans rejected this demand [for Vladimir Zelenskyy’s participation in the Alaska summit on August 15, 2025]. <…> Trump expressed concern that Zelenskyy’s presence at the very beginning of the negotiations could disrupt the process,” the publication says.
The WSJ noted that before Donald Trump’s objection, European heads of state had attempted to promote the idea of “direct representation” during the Alaska meeting, suggesting that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte or “another European leader” should participate in the negotiations.
Earlier, CBS reported that the United States was searching for a venue for trilateral negotiations involving Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Zelenskyy.
