US President Donald Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, August 15, in a bid to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. The conflict began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and has defied multiple rounds of talks.Announcing the meeting on Truth Social, Trump called it “highly anticipated” and promised more details soon. “The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump posted.The announcement came just hours after Trump told reporters he planned to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine with Putin.The talks will mark Putin’s first visit to the United States in a decade, his last trip was in 2015 for the UN General Assembly in New York.
When and where will the leaders meet?
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump said he believes that he has “a shot” at securing peace and hinted at possible “swapping of territories” between Ukraine and Russia, though he offered no specifics. “They would like to meet with me, I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing,” Trump had earlier said on Thursday, referring to both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Trump told reporters that he believes Putin is open to ending the conflict, saying, “President Putin, I believe, wants to see peace.”The meeting follows a visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who proposed a three-way summit with Zelenskyy. However, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed Russia “completely” ignored that option.The Kremlin confirmed the Alaska summit, calling it a “logical” next step in ongoing efforts to end the war.This meeting will be Trump’s most direct attempt yet to fulfill his campaign promise of ending the war “within 24 hours,” a pledge that has so far faced repeated setbacks despite phone calls, peace talks, and diplomatic visits.
Why are Trump, Putin meeting in Alaska?
The summit will be held in Alaska, a symbolic location Russia sold to the US in 1867. Alaska’s western tip lies just across the Bering Strait from Russia’s easternmost point. Ushakov said the region is where US and Russian “economic interests intersect” and offers “prospects for large-scale, mutually beneficial projects.”“Alaska and the Arctic are also where our countries’ economic interests intersect, and there are prospects for large-scale, mutually beneficial projects,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in a statement on Telegram.“But, of course, the presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” he added.While the main agenda will be Ukraine, Ushakov noted that Russia has invited Trump to hold the next meeting on Russian soil. “A corresponding invitation has already been sent to the US president,” he noted.An International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Putin, which requires member states to detain him if he enters their territory, was widely expected to limit potential venues for the meeting.Putin had earlier floated the United Arab Emirates as a possible host, while media reports speculated that Turkey, China, or India might serve as alternatives.
Will Zelenskyy be involved?
Zelenskyy has repeatedly pushed for a three-way summit, calling direct talks with Putin “the only way to make progress toward peace.”Russia has ruled this out for now, saying a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting could only happen in the “final phase” of negotiations once terms are agreed. Asked if meeting Zelenskyy was a prerequisite, Trump replied: “No, he doesn’t.”
When were the past meetings?
Trump and Putin last met in person in 2019 at the G20 summit in Japan, and previously held a high-profile summit in Helsinki in 2018.Biden last met Putin in Geneva in June 2021, a summit US officials later described as a “focused, and practical” exchange between the two leaders.Despite the flurry of diplomacy, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart. In June talks, Russia reiterated its demands: Ukraine must withdraw from the four regions Moscow claims to have annexed, declare neutrality, refuse Western military support, and permanently rule out Nato membership.Kyiv, meanwhile, is calling for an immediate ceasefire and insists it will never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory.
