White House: Alaska summit will be a 'listening exercise' for Trump

(Patria) - The White House on Tuesday lowered expectations regarding the summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the upcoming meeting as a "listening exercise" for the American leader.

Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the summit will be held in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, on Friday, when the president will set a "goal" to be able to "leave with a better understanding of how we can end this war."

"Only one side involved in this war will be present, so it is up to the president to go and gain a firmer and better understanding of how we hope to end this war," she told reporters at the White House.

Leavitt alluded to the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not be present during the meeting. She emphasized that the meeting is being held at Putin's request.

The upcoming talks will be the first face-to-face meeting between the current Russian and American presidents since June 2021, when Putin met with then-U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland. It will also mark the first time a Russian president has set foot on Alaskan soil since the Russian Empire sold the territory to the United States in 1867.