Donald Trump anticipates "good" results ahead of meeting with Vladimir Putin

United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that he'll know "within the first two minutes" of his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin whether a deal can be made on ending the war in Ukraine. 

Trump spoke to reporters in the White House ahead of his Friday talks with the Russian leader in Alaska. 

"I think it'll be good, but it might be bad", he said. Trump said he hoped to obtain a ceasefire "very quickly."

The US president also said he wanted to organise a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Ultimately, I'm going to put the two of them in the room. I'll be there or I won't be there. And I think it'll get solved", he said. Vladimir Putin has so far rejected similar proposals.

Trump also said he could see a scenario where the US and Russia normalize trade relations if the meeting goes well. 

Neither Ukraine nor European leaders have been invited to participate in the upcoming US-Russia summit.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday asked Donald Trump to join an emergency virtual meeting with European leaders and Zelenskyy on Wednesday, in the hopes of persuading the US president to protect Ukrainian interests during his meeting with Vladimir Putin. 

"I'm talking to the European leaders. I'll be talking to President Zelenskyy. I'm going to get everybody's ideas. I go into that thing fully loaded right up there, and we're going to see what happens", Trump said on Monday.

The US president also said he would discuss "land swapping" with his Russian counterpart.

Concerns have mounted in Europe that Kyiv may be pressed to give up land or accept other curbs on its sovereignty. Ukraine and its European allies reject the notion that Putin should lay claim to any territory even before agreeing to a ceasefire.