US President Donald Trump said he plans to hold a second round of talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin soon after Friday's summit in Alaska — this time with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in attendance.

Trump will meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, August 15, which will be the first meeting between the Russian leader and a sitting US president since 2021.

"If the first meeting goes well, we will have a second one," he said, quoted by AFP.

"I would like to have it almost immediately, and we will have a short second meeting between President Putin, President Zelensky, and myself, if they wish me to be present," he added.

The high-stakes talks come as Trump tries to broker an end to Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine, with Zelensky and his European allies calling on the Republican to push for a ceasefire.

The intensified Russian offensive and the fact that Zelensky was not invited to the Alaska meeting have heightened fears that Trump and Putin could strike a deal that would impose painful concessions on Ukraine.

Trump said Russia would face "very severe consequences" if Putin did not agree to end the war after the meeting, without giving further details.

The US leader promised dozens of times during his 2024 election campaign that he would end the war on his first day in office, but has made little progress in brokering a peace deal.

He threatened "secondary sanctions" against Russia's trading partners over its invasion of Ukraine, but the deadline for action expired last week without any measures being announced.

Trump boasted that he had a "very good conversation" with European leaders, including Zelensky, while answering questions from reporters at an event at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

"I would rate it a 10 out of 10. You know, very, very friendly," he said. | BGNES