The White House on Tuesday said the Alaska talks would be a “listening exercise” for Trump and added having him and Putin sit down in the same room would give the US president “the best indication on how to end this war”.
It follows Trump describing the summit as a “feel-out meeting” on Monday, seeming to tone down expectations that Friday’s meeting could bring Ukraine and Russia closer to peace.
When he announced the summit last week, Trump sounded positive that the meeting could result in concrete steps towards peace.
“I think my gut instinct really tells me that we have a shot at it,” he said.
But Ukrainian President Zelensky once again expressed serious doubts that the talks could result in a positive outcome for Kyiv, which has been excluded from the summit. “I don’t know what they will talk about without us,” he said.
Zelensky has steered clear of criticising Trump but in recent days his frustration at being sidelined has become apparent, and on Tuesday he said the choice of Alaska as a location was a “personal victory” for Putin.
“He is coming out of isolation, because they are meeting with him on US territory,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader has previously said any agreements without Kyiv’s involvement would amount to “dead decisions”.
On Wednesday, Zelensky is due to join a virtual meeting with Donald Trump, EU leaders, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Nato chief Mark Rutte.
All sides will try to convince Trump of the need not to be swayed by Putin when the two meet at the hastily organised summit.