Trump expresses plans for a near encounter with Putin
The potential meeting between former US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to take place this Friday in Alaska, though the exact time and venue remain undisclosed as of August 12, 2025. This will mark the first US-Russia leadership summit since former President Joe Biden met with his counterpart in Geneva in June 2021.
The announcement follows a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, which also included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany, and Finland. The discussion revolved around the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with Trump expressing a willingness to engage in "constructive conversations" aimed at achieving a ceasefire.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's aide, described the conversation with US envoy Steve Witkoff as "useful and constructive." According to reports, Witkoff has been returning with a ceasefire proposal from Moscow that will need to be discussed with Ukraine and Washington's European allies.
The three rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have so far failed to make headway on a ceasefire. The conflict, which began in February 2022, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, destruction of swaths of the country, and forced millions to flee their homes.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce US and EU support if it wants the fighting to stop. In contrast, Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, with Zelensky urging his allies to push for "regime change" in Moscow.
Trump has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new penalties. He has also threatened to impose "a lot more secondary sanctions" on Russia's key trade partners, possibly targeting China. The Kremlin has criticized these threats as "illegitimate."
In a separate development, Trump has ordered steeper tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.
The potential summit has been met with mixed reactions, with some expressing concerns about Trump's approach to diplomacy and his perceived closeness to Putin. However, others argue that any dialogue is better than no dialogue at all in resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
[1] Sources: The New York Times, CNN, and BBC News.
[1] The potential business of Trump and Putin's meeting, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, could significantly impact political relations, especially given the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Ukraine.[2] Amid the discussions over the ceasefire in Ukraine, Ushakov, Putin's aide, described a conversation with Steve Witkoff as "useful and constructive," hinting at a potential political resolution in the near future.[3] In a move that could be seen as part of the general-news surrounding the US-Russia tensions, Trump has threatened to impose secondary sanctions on China, potentially escalating the economic war-and-conflicts between these global powers.
