Trump and Putin plan a face-to-face encounter in Alaska.
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday, August 15, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The exchange between the two leaders is expected to focus on the ongoing war in Ukraine, with a focus on achieving a ceasefire and discussing territorial and economic issues.
The planned meeting comes after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow and spoke with Putin for the fifth time before the official announcement. The Kremlin has made it clear that certain conditions must be met before any such meeting can take place, including agreements at the expert level on a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy advisor, stated that if there is another meeting between the two presidents after Alaska, it would likely take place in Russia. However, the Kremlin's current conditions for a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have not been explicitly detailed in the latest public sources.
President Zelensky has repeatedly demanded such a conversation, and Trump has also emphasized the need for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv at the highest level. The absence of Zelensky from bilateral talks between Putin and the U.S. has raised concerns among Europeans and Ukraine about being sidelined in discussions.
The war in Ukraine began in February 2022, when Russia invaded the country at Putin's behest. Under Biden's presidency, the U.S. became the key ally and arms supplier to Ukraine in its defensive struggle against Russia. Trump, on the other hand, has set a deadline of ten days for a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, threatening to impose sanctions on Russia's trading partners if it is not met.
Trump claims that the Russian invasion began during Biden's term and that such escalation would have been unthinkable under his presidency. Analysts note that Putin may have softened his territorial demands somewhat, possibly limiting claims to the Donetsk region rather than multiple regions. Despite this, Putin has not agreed to a ceasefire or major concessions in recent talks, and no mention of agreed conditions for a direct Ukraine-Russia summit has been made.
Trump has repeatedly emphasized his desire to quickly end the war, positioning himself as a peacemaker in the ongoing conflict. It remains uncertain whether there will be a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, but discussions continue around ceasefire and territorial demands, with Zelensky emphasizing the necessity of Ukraine’s involvement.
- Policy-and-legislation discussions regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine may be part of the agenda when U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as both leaders aim to achieve a ceasefire and address territorial and economic issues.
- General-news outlets have reported on the political implications of the absence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in bilateral talks between Putin and the U.S., with concerns being raised among Europeans and Ukraine about being sidelined in discussions related to war-and-conflicts.
