In a move that has taken diplomats and allies by surprise, President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this Friday. The hastily arranged summit, planned in barely a week, will be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, marking the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine that an American president has hosted the Russian leader on U.S. soil.
The Kremlin says talks will start at 11:30 a.m. local time with a one-on-one 'tête-à-tête' between Trump and Putin, joined only by interpreters, followed by delegation-level talks and a working breakfast. A joint news conference is expected later in the day.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the meeting a 'listening exercise' for Trump, a chance, she said, for the president to hear Putin’s plans directly.
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Why now? A deadline and a shift
Since taking office in January, Trump has floated the idea of a summit with Putin, but until recently held back, saying the war seemed unwinnable. That changed last week when he moved up a deadline for imposing new sanctions or tariffs unless Russia ended the war.
The pressure, coupled with Trump’s recent decision to raise tariffs on Indian imports to penalise New Delhi for buying Russian oil, appears to have prompted Moscow to request the meeting.
Putin, once confident of Russia’s battlefield momentum, may now be looking for ways to slow the economic and diplomatic pressure while pushing his long-held demands on Ukraine.
What Putin might be after
For Putin, the Alaska trip is more than just a diplomatic thaw; it’s an opportunity to frame the war in terms of great-power negotiations, echoing historic summits like Yalta in 1945.
His likely asks are unchanged: recognition of eastern Ukraine as Russian territory, keeping Ukraine out of NATO, restricting Kyiv’s military size, and ensuring a pro-Moscow government in Kyiv.
Beyond Ukraine, Putin may use the talks to discuss Arctic cooperation or other economic openings that could help Moscow blunt Western sanctions.
Trump’s balancing act
Trump entered the White House promising to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. Seven months later, that pledge remains unfulfilled, but the Alaska summit offers him a chance to reclaim the 'deal-maker' image he prizes, and perhaps edge closer to the Nobel Peace Prize he openly covets.
His stance has shifted over the year. Earlier, he was seen as tilting toward the Kremlin, limiting military aid to Ukraine. Recently, he’s approved more weapons for Kyiv and condemned Russian strikes on civilian areas as 'disgraceful' and 'disgusting.'
On Wednesday, Trump warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin refuses to halt the war.
Ukraine left out
Notably, Ukraine will have no seat at Friday’s table. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined Trump and European leaders on a call earlier this week, says any deal without Kyiv’s input is 'stillborn.'
The five principles agreed on that call include keeping Ukraine 'at the table' for future talks, securing NATO membership rights for the country after the war, and refusing to discuss land swaps before a cease-fire.
Public opinion in Ukraine remains firmly against territorial concessions, even after years of heavy casualties and destruction.
What’s at stake
The meeting could be little more than political theatre, a test of wills between two leaders who thrive on unpredictability, or it could set the stage for a rare direct channel in the deadlocked conflict.
Trump has leverage in the form of looming sanctions, but Putin has weathered Western pressure before, buoyed by energy sales to China, India, and other buyers. The Alaska summit may answer the question neither side has been willing to face: Is there any common ground left?
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