Is Putin laying a U.S. trap?

Experts worry Alaska summit will cost Ukraine. But Trump may yet throw a curveball at Russia.

- BY MICHAEL WILNER

PRESIDENT Trump, who took over Kennedy Center's board, will be the first president to host its big event.

The first presidential summit in years between Russia and the United States is on, setting nerves in Europe and Ukraine on a knife's edge. But President Trump may have a surprise in store for Vladimir Putin.

Efforts to scuttle the high-stakes meeting have not been subtle. European officials issued statements in recent days on the futility of Trump negotiating with Putin over Ukraine without Ukraine, urging the U.S. president on Wednesday to not cut a unilateral deal. Kyiv warned that Moscow's proposals for peace — rewarding its war of conquest with territorial concessions — are a nonstarter. Many Russia experts are hoping one side simply decides to call it off.

Despite their efforts, the summit — haphazardly scheduled on American soil with days to spare — is moving ahead, with Trump scheduled to host the Russian leader at a U.S. military base in Anchorage on Friday, the first meeting of its kind since 2021.

Experts fear Putin may be laying a trap for the Americans, manipulating Trump in private to solidify Russia's position on the battlefield. But Trump suggested Wednesday that he would demand Putin agree to a ceasefire in Alaska.

EXPERTS fear President Trump will side with Vladimir Putin on Friday, as he did in Helsinki in 2018, above. PabloMartinez Monsivais Associated Press

"There will be very severe consequences" if he doesn't, Trump told reporters.