US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will attempt to negotiate the return of some Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia during his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

“Russia’s occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They occupied prime territory. We’re going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

He described the Alaska summit as a “feel-out meeting” with Putin, adding that future talks could potentially involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or be held in a trilateral format. A White House official said Trump remained open to including both leaders in future discussions.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Sunday it was still possible that Zelensky could join the meeting, though the final decision rests with Trump. “There’s still time to make that decision,” Whitaker said.

Trump announced the summit last Friday, which was also his self-imposed deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face further US sanctions. The meeting comes amid heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine and ongoing debates about the US approach to peace talks.

Trump claimed he could determine “within two minutes” of meeting Putin whether progress was possible on ending the conflict.

Ukrainian President Zelensky responded to the planned talks by warning that any agreements made without Kyiv’s involvement would be “dead decisions,” underscoring the country’s insistence on having a seat at the negotiating table.

The Alaska meeting will be the first face-to-face engagement between Trump and Putin since the recent escalation in Ukraine, raising international attention on whether the talks can yield any tangible progress toward peace.