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President Donald Trump set high stakes for Friday’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating he would “walk” away if today’s discussions do not go well. In a clip posted on X from an interview aboard Air Force One with Fox News’ Bret Baier, which will be aired in full tonight on the network’s Special Report with Bret Baier, Trump predicted the talks would “work out very well — and if it doesn’t, I’m going to head back home real fast.” He added, “I would walk, yeah,” in response to a follow-up question.
Later Friday, Trump shared another video from a press gaggle aboard the plane. When asked what would define a successful summit, he replied: “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don’t know if it’s going to be today but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today.” He continued, “Everyone said it can’t be today, but I’m just saying I want the killing to stop. I’m in this to stop the killing.”
Trump’s planned working lunch with Putin will also include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Ukraine is not represented at the summit, as Trump had a virtual call earlier with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.
The meeting began with a handshake before heading into hours of discussions. Prior to the meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social: “HIGH STAKES!!!” The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump will not initially meet with Putin alone but will instead be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Russian delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, policy adviser Yury Ushakova, Kirill Dmitriev (head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund), Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Ukraine will not be represented at the summit.
Trump stated in comments to reporters: “There’s nothing set in stone. I want certain things. I want to see a ceasefire.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X, “The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side. It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America. We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible.”
The meeting is expected to be followed by a working lunch and a press conference.
