US official can't rule out possibility that Trump may walk out of meeting with Putin

A US official has said that "all options remain on the table" during the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, including the possibility of Trump walking out of the meeting if he does not believe that Putin is serious about making a deal.

Source: CNN, citing an unnamed official, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Trump alluded to the possibility during a conversation with journalists on Thursday 14 August.

"We’re going to find out where everybody stands, and I’ll know within the first two minutes, three minutes, four minutes or five minutes. We tend to find out whether or not we’re going to have a good meeting or a bad meeting, and if it’s a bad meeting, it’ll end very quickly, and if it’s a good meeting, we’re going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future," Trump said.

The American official noted that the White House is cautiously optimistic about the meeting, emphasising that Trump believes he needs to be in the same room as Putin to assess what he is prepared to do regarding a ceasefire. The official also did not rule out the possibility that the US president could leave the summit early if he sees that Putin does not have the right mindset.

Trump said he expects Putin to take the meeting seriously, warning of very severe consequences for Moscow if the Russian leader does not agree to take steps to end the war.

Background: On the morning of 15 August, hundreds of people gathered in support of Ukraine ahead of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

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