Where, when and how long will Trump and Putin meet in Alaska

Trump said Putin is ready to sign a peace agreement on Ukraine, writes Reuters. Europe and Ukraine hope to prevent a deal that leaves Ukraine vulnerable to Russian attack.

Photo: Timothyoleary | Dreamstime.com

US President Donald Trump said that he believes Putin is ready to end the war in Ukraine. He said this on the eve of the summit, which will take place on August 15. At the same time, the head of the White House emphasized that the world will most likely require at least a second meeting - this time with the participation of the Ukrainian leader.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies stepped up efforts this week to prevent a U.S.-Russia deal at Friday's summit in Alaska that would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future Kremlin attacks.

On the subject: Trump to Offer Putin Alaskan Resources in Exchange for Ending War in Ukraine

"I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We'll see if they can get along."

Trump played down expectations for a possible cease-fire at the summit and suggested a second meeting involving more leaders could be ahead.

"It will probably be a good meeting, but more important will be the second meeting that we will have. We will meet with President Putin, President Zelensky, myself, and maybe we will invite some European leaders. Or maybe not. I don't know yet."

Putin held a meeting with his ministers and security officials in Anchorage, Alaska, ahead of his meeting with Trump. The upcoming meeting could determine the final phase of Europe's biggest war since World War II.

In a televised speech, Putin said the United States was "making sufficiently energetic and sincere efforts to stop the fighting, end the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict."

According to Putin, this is being done “to create long-term conditions of peace between our countries, in Europe and in the world as a whole – if at the next stages we reach agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons.”

The remarks signaled that Russia intends to raise nuclear arms control as part of a broader security discussion with Trump. A Kremlin aide said Putin and Trump would discuss the “enormous untapped potential” of economic ties between Russia and the United States.

A senior Eastern European official, who asked not to be named, said Putin would try to divert Trump's attention from Ukraine during the talks by offering him possible progress on nuclear arms control or business.

"We hope that Trump will not fall for the Russians' tricks; he understands the danger of these things," the official concluded, noting that Russia's only goal is to avoid the introduction of new sanctions and to achieve the lifting of the current ones.

"Like in chess"

Trump said there would be a press conference after the talks, but he did not know if it would be a joint one. In an earlier interview with Fox News, he announced there would be a “mutual exchange of views” on borders and territories.

"This meeting is like a chess game," Trump compared. "It sets up a second meeting, but there's a 25% chance that this meeting won't be successful," he added.

Trump believes that the terms of the agreement should be negotiated between Putin and Zelensky: “I’m not going to negotiate with them.”

Today, Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory. Zelensky and the Europeans fear the deal could cement those gains, reward Putin for his 11-year push to seize Ukrainian lands and embolden the Russian leader to further expand into Europe.

One European diplomat said it would be "scary to watch how this all plays out in the coming hours. Trump had very good calls with Europe yesterday, but that was yesterday."

European leaders said Trump expressed his willingness to join security guarantees for Ukraine at a virtual meeting with them and Zelensky on August 13, although he did not mention it publicly.

Friday's summit, the first between Russia and the United States since June 2021, comes at one of Ukraine's darkest moments. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Speaking after the virtual meeting on August 13, French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump believed the transatlantic NATO alliance should not be part of the security guarantees designed to protect Ukraine from future attacks in a post-war settlement.

However, according to Macron, Trump stated that the United States and all willing allies should be part of the security guarantees.

In addition, the European official said, Trump spoke during the call of his willingness to provide some security guarantees to Europe, but did not specify what they would be.

"It seemed like a big step forward," said the official, who asked not to be named.

It is not yet clear what such guarantees might mean in practice.

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On August 13, Trump threatened "serious consequences" if Putin did not agree to peace in Ukraine and warned of economic sanctions if Friday's meeting was unsuccessful.

Russia is likely to resist demands from Ukraine and Europe. Russian senior officials have previously said their position has not changed since Putin first voiced it in June 2024.

The White House has released a preliminary schedule of talks. Trump will arrive in Anchorage at 14:10 p.m. ET, with talks scheduled to begin at 15:30 p.m. A joint press conference between Trump and Putin is scheduled for 4:19 p.m., after which the US president will immediately fly to Washington.

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