White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that President Donald Trump will not initially meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska alone, as previously planned, but will instead be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Putin will also be joined by two other high-ranking Russian officials, CNN reported.

Why It Matters

Trump and Putin will meet on Friday to discuss bringing an end to Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine, which Putin launched in February 2022. The White House said the Russian leader reached out to request the meeting, to which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited.

The Trump administration sought to temper expectations around the president's meeting with Putin heading into Frida

See Full Page