STORY: On Monday (August 11) U.S. President Donald Trump held a press conference where he discussed his upcoming summit with Putin in Alaska on Friday (August 15).

While Zelenskiy will not be in attendance, Trump noted that he would immediately relay the details of the conversation to the Ukrainian leader. Trump also added that he would pressure Putin to reach a ceasefire, adding "'I'm gonna be telling him, you gotta end this war".

While sounding optimistic that a ceasefire could be reached, Trump noted that he had been let down by Putin in the past, and the war could potentially continue. He also repeated his claim that the war would have never begun had he been in office during the last term.

The Alaska meeting comes as Trump has hardened his stance towards Moscow, agreeing to allow additional U.S. weapons to reach Ukraine and threatening tariffs against buyers of Russian oil.

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VIDEO SHOWS: U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP MAKING COMMENTS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR AT WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 11, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

(Journalist asking: You mentioned your upcoming meeting with President Putin. Tell us what you hope to get out of that and whether you'll consider inviting President Zelensky to join?)

"So, you have to understand, this is a war that should have never happened. This is a war that wouldn't have happened if I were president. It would have never happened. It wasn't — it was the apple of his eye. I got along very well with President Putin"

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"This is really a feel-out meeting, a little bit. And President Putin invited me to get involved. He wants to get involved. I think, I believe, he wants to get it over with. Now, I've said that a few times. And I've been disappointed because I'd have, like, a great call with him, and then missiles would be lobbed into Kyiv or some other place, and you'd have 60 people laying on a road, dying."

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"The money that's been spent and the death is incredible. It's the worst thing that's happened, by far the worst that's happened since World War II. So I'm going in to speak to Vladimir Putin. And I'm gonna be telling him, you gotta end this war. You gotta end it. And he wasn't gonna mess with me. He was, this war would have never happened. You know, we had a discussion about it one time and we never had that discussion again. Would have never happened."

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"I'm going to go and see the parameters. Now, I may leave and say, good luck, and that'll be the end. I may say this is not going to be settled. I mean, there are those that believe that Putin wanted all of Ukraine. I happen to be one of them, by the way. I think if it weren't for me, he would not be even talking to anybody else right now. But I'm gonna meet with him. We're gonna see what the parameters are. I'm then gonna call up President Zelensky and the European leaders. Right after the meeting, yeah. And I'm going to tell him what kind of a deal. I'm not going to make a deal, it's not up to me to make a deal."

8. WHITE FLASH

9. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"I'm gonna meet with President Putin and we're going to see what he has in mind. And if it's a fair deal, I'll reveal it to the European Union leaders and to the NATO leaders and also to President Zelensky. I think out of respect, I will call him first and then I'll call them after. And I may say lots of luck, keep fighting. Or I may say we can make a deal."

10. WHITE FLASH

11. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"Well, we're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made. Because that's what I do. I make deals."

12. WHITE FLASH

13. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"I expect to have meeting with Putin that I think it'll be good, but it might be bad. And I have, hey, I'm here for one reason. To get rid of a war that somebody else started should have never happened. And if I could end it, great. Complex war. A lot of bad blood. A lot a bad blood, but Zelensky has been there for three and a half years, so if you put him in a room. Now, I will say this. Ultimately, I'm going to put the two of them in a room. I'll be there or I won't be there. And I think it'll get solved."