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Trump made the comment in response to a question from a reporter after announcing this year’s Kennedy Center Honors recipients in Washington. He did not say what the consequences might be.

The remark came soon after Trump consulted with European leaders, who said the president assured them he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Putin on Friday in Anchorage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined several of Kyiv’s main allies in the virtual meeting with the U.S. leader, and Zelenskyy told the group that Putin “is bluffing� ahead of the planned summit about Russia’s ability to occupy all of Ukraine and shake off sanctions.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said afterward that “important decisions� could be made in Alaska, but he stressed that “fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected.�

Merz convened Wednesday’s meeting to make sure European and Ukrainian leaders are heard ahead of the summit.

He stressed that a ceasefire must come at the beginning of negotiations. He told reporters that Trump “also wants to make this one of his priorities� in the meeting with Putin.

Trump “was very clear� that the U.S. wants to achieve a ceasefire at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a separate appearance in France.

Following Friday’s summit, Macron added, Trump will “seek a future trilateral meeting� — one involving Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy. He said he hoped that it could be held in Europe “in a neutral country that is acceptable to all parties.�

Merz, who described Wednesday’s conversation as “constructive and good,� said the Europeans made clear that “Ukraine must sit at the table as soon as there are follow-up meetings.�

European allies pushed for Ukraine’s involvement in any peace talks, fearful that discussions that exclude Kyiv could otherwise favor Moscow.

The Ukrainian president, who traveled to Berlin to join the meeting alongside Merz, repeatedly cast doubt on whether Putin would negotiate in good faith. He said Wednesday he hoped an immediate ceasefire will be “the central topic� in Alaska, but also argued that Putin “definitely does not want peace.�

Zelenskyy said Putin “is trying to apply pressure … on all sectors of the Ukrainian front� in an attempt to show that Russia is “capable of occupying all of Ukraine.� Putin is also bluffing that sanctions “do not matter to him and are ineffective,� he added. “In reality, sanctions are very helpful and are hitting Russia’s war economy hard.�

Meanwhile, Germany announced Wednesday that it will work with a group of Ukraine’s Western backers to supply a package of military aid to the war-ravaged country worth up to $500 million using a new NATO supply line.

This month, NATO started coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine after the Netherlands said that it would provide air defense equipment, ammunition and other military aid worth about $582 million.

Sweden announced the following day that it would contribute $275 million to a joint effort along with its Nordic neighbors Denmark and Norway to provide $500 million worth of air defenses, anti-tank weapons, ammunition and spare parts.

The stakes for Europe

Trump has said he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year, describing Friday’s summit as “a feel-out meeting� where he can assess the Russian leader’s intentions.

Yet Trump disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, though it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.

Trump ducked repeated chances Monday to say that he would push for Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace. Trump said after Friday’s summit, a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be arranged, or that it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me.�

The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia’s energy dominance to try to intimidate the European Union, could secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.

The overarching fear of many European countries is that Putin will set his sights on one of them next if he wins in Ukraine.

Merz said that “if there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and the Europeans should and must increase the pressure� on Moscow.

Land concessions

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that it still controls as part of a ceasefire deal, a proposal the leader categorically rejected.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not give up any territory it controls, saying that would be unconstitutional and would serve only as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.

He said diplomatic discussions led by the U.S. focusing on ending the war have not addressed key Ukrainian demands, including security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and including Europe in negotiations.