Alaska – USA – August 15, 2025
In a highly anticipated meeting aimed at addressing the three-year-long conflict in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet today at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The summit, the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since President Trump’s return to office, is being closely watched by the international community, particularly by European nations and Ukraine, who fear being sidelined in any potential deal.
President Trump has framed the meeting as a “feel-out” session, a critical first step to gauge Putin’s sincerity about achieving peace. In interviews leading up to the summit, Trump expressed a belief that Putin is ready “to make a deal,” citing the impact of international sanctions as a key motivator for the Russian leader to come to the negotiating table. He also hinted at the possibility of “land swapping” as part of a potential resolution, a suggestion that has drawn immediate pushback from Ukraine and its allies.
The White House has emphasized that today’s talks are not expected to result in a final peace agreement. Instead, the focus is on laying the groundwork for a second, more substantive meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has stated that a trilateral meeting with himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy could be the venue for a definitive peace deal, and he has even floated the idea of inviting European leaders to participate.
The meeting holds significant symbolic weight, taking place on a U.S. military base that has long been a key site for countering Russian threats. The location is seen as a way for President Trump to demonstrate American military strength while also ensuring a controlled environment for the dialogue.
For his part, President Putin has praised what he calls the “sincere efforts” of the Trump administration to end the war. He held a meeting with high-ranking Kremlin officials to prepare for the summit, with Russian state media reporting that he believes the talks could create conditions for “peace…in the world as a whole.” The Russian delegation includes veteran diplomats and financial power-brokers, a mix that suggests Moscow is keen to explore both political and economic avenues for resolution.
Despite the optimistic tone from both leaders, significant obstacles remain. Ukraine and its Western allies have repeatedly insisted that any peace deal must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, a position that clashes with Russia’s demands for territorial concessions. While Trump has warned of “very severe consequences” if Putin is unwilling to make a deal, the path to a lasting ceasefire remains complex and uncertain. The world awaits to see if today’s summit will be a true turning point in the conflict or merely another chapter in a long and difficult diplomatic process.
