Putin & Trump will meet in Anchorage, the White House announced.

Also said: U.S. President Donald Trump may have plans to visit Russia in the future, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing.

Adding: 

 “We will not leave Donbass,” Zelensky declared.  Zelensky refused to withdraw troops from Donbass.

“We will not leave Donbass. If we leave Donbass voluntarily or under pressure, we will start a third war,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president also refused to discuss any possible territorial exchanges with Russia, while indirectly requesting a meeting with Putin and Trump.

“During the call, I said that I am not ready to discuss Ukraine’s territories, as this is exclusively a matter of our Constitution. And honestly, with all due respect, I am not ready to discuss these issues over the phone. These are serious matters that are resolved at the leaders’ level,” Zelensky told journalists.

Given this rhetoric, it is unlikely that any breakthroughs should be expected from the meeting between Putin and Trump in Anchorage, Alaska.

Adding: 

Russia’s Defense Ministry reports that Kiev is preparing a provocation aimed at derailing the planned Russian–American talks set for August 15.

According to the ministry, in the lead-up to the Alaska summit, Ukrainian forces plan to carry out a strike on a densely populated residential area in Kharkov Region. The attack will then be blamed on Russian forces to create a negative media backdrop.

The Defense Ministry also warned that provocations by Ukrainian forces could take place in other areas under Kiev’s control, not just in the Kharkov Region.