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A historic summit is about to be held between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Although specifics on the summit just like the time and actual location stay unknown, all eyes might be on the talks as world leaders wait to see what, if something, may be achieved in Putin’s first journey to the U.S. in a decade.
Right here’s what we all know:
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
VLADIMIR PUTIN TO RETURN TO US FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE
AGENDA
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that Trump will journey to Anchorage on Friday morning for what she described as a “listening train” with Putin.
Trump, who on Monday described the talks as a “feel-out assembly,” has made clear that his chief agenda merchandise might be to find out whether or not a ceasefire in Ukraine is even doable.
When pressed by reporters this week as to what he particularly hopes to attain from the in-person talks with Putin — notably following seemingly constructive calls that solely resulted in a “annoyed” Trump and continued Russian bombardment in Ukraine — the president was gentle on specifics.
Although he informed reporters that he thinks he’ll know whether or not a ceasefire cope with Putin is even doable throughout the first “two minutes.”
“I am not going to make a deal. It is lower than me to make a deal,” he mentioned. “I feel a deal needs to be made for each [Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy].
“I’d wish to see a ceasefire. I would wish to see the perfect deal that might be made for each events. You already know, it takes two to tango,” he added.
TRUMP GOES AFTER ZELENSKYY OVER ‘LAND SWAPPING’ DISPUTE, LAYS OUT ‘FEEL OUT MEETING’ WITH PUTIN
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the course of the NATO Heads of State and Authorities Summit in The Hague, Netherlands on June 25, 2025. (Getty Pictures)
EXPECTATIONS
Trump has raised geopolitical eyebrows during the last week when he advised there could be a land “swap” that Russia and Ukraine would wish to conform to.
Whereas it stays unclear which borders he thinks will seemingly be moved round, notably which Russian borders he foresees Putin handing over to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his allies in NATO have made clear any deal solid with out Ukraine will not be acceptable.
Zelenskyy over the weekend reiterated that he can’t unilaterally conform to cede territory illegally occupied by Russia with out a nationwide referendum underneath Ukraine’s Structure.
“Any selections which can be with out Ukraine are on the similar time selections in opposition to peace,” he added. “They won’t deliver something. These are lifeless selections. They’ll by no means work.”
Following a gathering with prime EU officers on Monday, chief diplomat for the EU Kaja Kallas informed Fox Information Digital, “Ukraine’s proper to exist as a sovereign nation is underneath assault, in addition to the safety of our European continent.”
“So far as Russia has not agreed to full and unconditional ceasefire, we should always not even talk about any concessions,” she mentioned. “It has by no means labored prior to now with Russia, and won’t work with Putin immediately.
Trump, who’s slated to carry talks with Ukraine and NATO allies on Wednesday, mentioned he’ll first name Zelenskyy following his talks with Putin, adopted by calls to European leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron, European Fee President Ursula Von der Leyen, NATO Secretary Normal Mark Rutte, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meet in the course of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit on the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
WHY ALASKA
Although geographically talking, Anchorage is a close to equal distance from Moscow and Washington, D.C., the president prompted shock when he mentioned Putin had agreed to meet him in Alaska quite than a third-party state, like Switzerland or Hungary, each of which had been floated as potential assembly areas.
Nevertheless, each areas held doubtful optics, as Switzerland, a member of the Worldwide Prison Courtroom, might be obligated to behave on the 2023 ICC arrest warrant issued in opposition to Putin, and Hungary, although continuously seen as sympathetic to Russia, is a NATO member state.
“They in all probability averted Europe, as a result of in the event that they included Europe, then Europe would have demanded that they are truly on the desk,” Dan Hoffman, former CIA Moscow Station Chief, informed Fox Information Digital. “In all probability your two decisions had been go to Russia — which Trump would by no means do — or invite him right here.
“It additionally exposes the problem you could’t clear up this with out Ukraine and with out Europe,” he added.
However Alaska additionally has a shared historical past with the U.S., which Washington bought from Saint Petersburg — then the capital of Russia — in 1867.
Although this shared previous was championed by some in Russia and the U.S., just like the Kremlin’s particular financial envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who referred to as it the “excellent stage” for the Putin-Trump talks, others took to social media to counsel it confirmed the precarious nature of sovereign borders.
Anchorage, Alaska is about to obtain each President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for a high-level bilateral assembly on Friday Aug. 15, 2025. (Zihao Chen by way of Getty Pictures)
ZELENSKYY TELLS PUTIN TO ‘BE BRAVE’ AND FINALLY AGREE TO TRILATERAL MEETING WITH TRUMP
ZELENSKYY’S ROLE
Zelenskyy doesn’t seem to have been officially invited to the talks, which the White Home on Tuesday confirmed are the results of a direct invitation from Putin.
“The president is agreeing to this assembly on the request of President Putin,” Leavitt mentioned Tuesday. “And the purpose of this assembly for the president is to stroll away with a greater understanding of how we are able to finish this warfare.”
Zelenskyy is about to carry talks with the U.S. president forward of the high-level bilateral assembly on Wednesday alongside other European leaders.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly mentioned he’s open to assembly with Putin immediately to finish the warfare, although Putin has to this point refused.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, maintain a phone dialog with US President Trump on the sidelines of a gathering on the sixth European Political Group summit on Could 16, 2025 at Skanderbeg Sq. in Tirana, Albania. (KuglerSteffen/Bundesregierung by way of Getty Pictures)
WHAT’S NEXT
Trump on Monday mentioned his purpose is that following his assembly with Putin, the Kremlin chief will sit down with Zelenskyy to start hashing out phrases for a ceasefire — whether or not or not it consists of him in direct negotiations.
“In the end, I’ll put the 2 of them in a room. I will be there, or I will not be there,” Trump mentioned Monday. “And I feel it’s going to get solved.”
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Zelenskyy on Tuesday mentioned he additionally mentioned the opportunity of holding high-level talks organized by Turkey, which has hosted previous diplomatic negotiations which have did not safe any lasting ceasefire agreements, however have launched hundreds of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of warfare (POWs).
“We’re prepared for any format of assembly aimed toward stopping the killings and ending the warfare,” Zelenksyy mentioned. “President Erdoğan confirmed his nation’s readiness to prepare a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, the US, Russia, and Türkiye.”
Consultants have warned it’s too quickly to inform what may come out of the talks with Putin on Friday.
