'Not here to negotiate for Ukraine but working to end war': Donald Trump aboard flight to meet Putin

Ahead of boarding the flight, Trump posted 'high stakes' on his social media platform  Truth Social.

On board Air Force One, Trump told reporters that he is not going to Alaska to broker a deal on behalf of Ukraine, but his goal was to get Putin to the table. "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine," he added.

"Putin believes that his continuous attacks give him strength in negotiations, but I think that hurts him. I think we will achieve some result at the summit with Putin. I am working to end the war to save lives. Russia will face severe economic consequences if it does not reach an agreement," Trump said.

As Trump was flying to Alaska, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US president should convince Russia to stop its "invasion".

"It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelenskyy said in a social media post.

The US delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe, among others.

Trump on Wednesday warned of "very severe consequences" if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to stop the Ukraine war after Friday's summit.