"There's a very good chance that there will be a second meeting that will be more productive than the first one, because during the first one I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing," Trump said, answering questions at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Trump said that if the first meeting with Putin on Friday"goes well," then a "second meeting" between Putin, Zelensky"and me, if they want me to be there," would happen soon.

Threatens"very serious consequences" if Putin does not agree to end the war

During a press conference, Donald Trump was asked whether Russia would face any consequences if Vladimir Putin did not agree to end the war in Ukraine after Friday's meeting in Alaska.

The US president replied:"Yes, there will be. There will be consequences."

Asked whether it would be sanctions or tariffs, Trump said:"I don't have to say that. There will be very serious consequences."

He was then asked if he believed he could convince Putin to stop killing civilians in Ukraine. Trump said he didn't believe he could because he had asked Putin to do so before, but it hadn't happened.

CBS News: US picks location for Trump, Zelensky, Putin meeting

US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin may meet as early as next week.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing CBS News.

According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the US is working on choosing a meeting location.

The publication's sources reported that the trilateral meeting could take place as early as next week.

Trump and Putin meeting

As a reminder, US President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled for Friday, August 15, in Alaska. The meeting will focus on the war in Ukraine, but will take place without President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The US leader has said he hopes to reach an agreement with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on a ceasefire between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The US leader sees such a scenario as positive.

In addition, Trump promised that he would not make a deal with Putin without Ukraine's participation.

The American leader also believes that peace will require a"territorial exchange" between Ukraine and Russia. Rumors have appeared in the media that Moscow would like to receive the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Meanwhile, V. Zelensky, responding to such a proposal, promised that Ukraine would not withdraw its troops from the Donetsk region.