Overview

• On Truth Social Wednesday morning, President Trump blasted journalists as “sick and dishonest” for quoting critics of his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• He disparaged former national security adviser John Bolton as a “fired loser” and “really dumb” after Bolton warned that Putin “has already won” the Alaska summit.
• The talks, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, are pitched as an effort to end Russia’s war in Ukraine despite Moscow’s insistence on controlling parts of eastern Ukraine.
• Bolton and other former U.S. officials caution that granting Putin a high-profile photo opportunity on American soil could legitimize his territorial demands.
• Trump’s earlier peace concepts, including a February proposal linking U.S. support to Ukrainian mineral rights, continue to fuel scrutiny of any potential agreement.