Trump fears that Zelensky will disrupt negotiations with Putin: details from Alaska.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern that the participation of Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit in Alaska could complicate or even disrupt his negotiations with Vladimir Putin. Despite European leaders' insistence on involving Ukraine in the talks, the format of the meeting changed after backroom agreements.

U.S. President Donald Trump, according to sources from WSJ, privately acknowledged that he worries about the possibility of cancelling planned negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin due to the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Earlier, on August 13, European leaders and Zelensky presented Trump with five brief 'red lines' that he should consider during the upcoming negotiations.

Initially, European officials sought direct participation in the summit in Alaska, which will also be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. They proposed to include the Secretary-General Mark Rutte or another EU leader along with Zelensky in the delegation. However, after negotiations between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Trump, this demand was lifted, although publicly Europeans continue to call for Ukraine's participation in any negotiations with Putin.

According to sources, Trump even promised Merz that Zelensky would be invited to a second meeting with Putin if negotiations in Alaska create conditions for direct contacts. However, he emphasized that at the initial stage, the presence of the Ukrainian president could become an obstacle to dialogue with the Kremlin.

Brief summary: The meeting of the Ukrainian and Russian leaders could complicate Trump's negotiations with Putin, but after agreements with European partners, the format of the summit in Alaska changed. Trump has not publicly commented on this situation, but privately expressed concern.