The White House confirmed that talks for a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are “underway” even as the Kremlin stays mum on its diplomatic plans.

Karoline Leavitt was grilled about Trump’s efforts to secure a deal to end the ongoing war in Ukraine during a tense press briefing on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump ‘s face-to-face high-stakes summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could determine the fate of European security as well as the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. The exclusion of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already deals a heavy blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

It was not initially clear if Putin would speak to the press with Trump after the meeting, but the White House has since confirmed that both leaders will participate in the briefing.

The August 15 Anchorage Summit between Putin and Trump was their first meeting in the latter's second term as President.