In a summit that is garnering worldwide attention , the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will meet this Friday in Alaska for a face-to-face discussion that could mark the course of the War in Ukraine . This meeting is particularly significant as it is Putin’s first visit to Western territory since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and prompted Russia to gain ground just before this crucial appointment.
The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 local time (19:30 GMT) at the Elmendorf Air Base , the largest military installation in the United States in Alaska, which historically served as a symbol of surveillance against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It occurs in a climate of tension . Trump, who accepted Putin’s proposal for a meeting, cautioned that he could terminate discussions swiftly if the Russian leader does not exhibit a willingness to compromise. “If it’s a bad meeting, it will end very fast; if it is good, we will get peace in the very near future,” he stated at the White House, emphasizing there was a “one in four” chance of failure.
Currently, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky has not been invited and has publicly rejected any pressuring to concede territories occupied by Russian forces. Trump asserts that any final agreement will be shaped in a subsequent tripartite meeting involving himself and Zelensky, a notion that raises eyebrows in Kyiv and among several European capitals.
This summit marks the first encounter between Trump and Putin since 2019, taking place at a moment when each leader bears markedly different goals. Trump arrives at the meeting seeking to achieve a ceasefire that enables him to present himself as a peace architect and potentially a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize . In contrast, Putin intends to relieve Western sanctions pressure and possibly secure a stronger hold on military advances.
Next, follow the live coverage of the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin:
Russia awaits Trump’s reciprocal visit after the summit in Alaska
Russia anticipates that President Donald Trump will visit Russia in the wake of the summit held today in Alaska with Vladimir Putin, according to a representative from the Russian Foreign Ministry .
“We are discussing symmetrical actions. If the Russian leader visits the U.S. territory, we expect a reciprocal visit from the U.S. leader to the Russian territory,” remarked Rodion Miróshnik, a special envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in an interview with Tass .
The diplomat noted that restoring relations with the United States should not solely revolve around Ukraine.
“The U.S. and Russia face a wide range of issues: international, economic, cultural, sports, and others, many of which have stalled and need to be revived for mutual benefit,” he explained.
Infobae in Alaska: Trump and Putin privately define the future of war between Ukraine and Russia
With disparate positions, the president of the United States and the Kremlin chief initiate a diplomatic process marked by distrust from Zelensky and his European partners
(Special Report from Anchorage, Alaska) Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are now at Elmendorf-Richardson Base to decide the war’s future that pits Ukraine against Russia.
From public praise to diplomatic pulse: this has been the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
The U.S. president and his Russian counterpart meet in Anchorage, attempting to lay the groundwork for a peace agreement in Ukraine
This Friday, in Anchorage, Alaska, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet again, marking their first encounter since Trump took the White House. This meeting represents the culmination of a relationship characterized by abrupt turns , praise, tensions, and a complex landscape with Ukraine at its core.
Lavrov said Russia will present a “clear position” to Trump at the Alaska Summit
Russian Foreign Minister Serguéi Lavrov stated that Moscow will present a “clear and understandable position” to President Trump during their summit in Alaska. Lavrov made these remarks upon arriving at a hotel in Anchorage , where he was seen wearing a sweater featuring the letters “CCCP,” the abbreviation of the former Soviet Union.
Lavrov emphasized that much of the preparation for this meeting took place during a recent visit to Moscow by the White House’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and expressed confidence in the continuation of that “useful dialogue” during Friday’s discussions.
“Much has already been achieved during the visits from the U.S. President’s special envoy. I hope we can continue this productive conversation tomorrow,” he remarked.
Former US Ambassador to Kyiv: Trump will seek a sensible policy about Ukraine
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst believes that President Trump will ultimately take a “correct” approach to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. However, he warned that this could become “weak” if Putin uses a ceasefire to capture more Ukrainian territory. “I think he understands that,” Herbst stated to CNN, emphasizing the need for a sensible approach moving forward.
Herbst also noted that, leading up to the Alaska summit, Trump had expressed intentions to determine whether Putin genuinely seeks peace, warning that lack of progress could lead to “serious consequences.”
According to the former diplomat, this shift reflects a White House awareness that Putin remains “stubborn,” making significant advances towards lasting peace unlikely.
Ukraine maintains low expectations before the Trump-Putin summit and denounces that the country’s fate must be decided with Zelensky at the table
Ukrainian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee President, Oleksandr Merezhko, expressed that he holds no “great expectations” for the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska. He stated to BBC that the gathering already represents a “diplomatic victory” for the Russian leader, who is now in the spotlight due to Trump’s attention.
Merezhko noted that specific outcomes are uncertain because, in his opinion, Putin “doesn’t want to stop war”, and Trump “does not seem willing” to impose sanctions on Russia or its allies. He reiterated that “the fate of Ukraine must be determined by the Ukrainians” and that prominent participation from President Zelensky is essential, as he was not invited to the discussions.
Putin stops in Magadan before flying to Alaska to meet Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin began his trip to Alaska with a stop in Magadan , located in the far east of Russia. From there, he will proceed to Anchorage to meet with President Trump, focusing on the ongoing war in Ukraine and other bilateral matters.
As reported by the Kremlin, Putin aims to use this stop to meet with regional governor Serguéi Nósov and tour an industrial facility. The forthcoming meeting will be the first between both leaders since the G20 summit in Osaka, 2019, and marks Putin’s first visit to the United States in almost a decade.
Russian presidential squad planes land in Alaska before the Putin-Trump summit
Multiple IL-96 aircraft, part of the special “rossiya” fleet that transports senior Kremlin officials, landed at Anchorage airport, Alaska, this Thursday, right before the much-anticipated meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Among the passengers were a group of accredited Russian journalists covering the scheduled meeting. This summit, set for Friday, will be their first encounter since 2019, placing significant emphasis on the war in Ukraine along with other bilateral topics.
Wave of protests in Alaska: hundreds of protesters rejected Putin’s visit on the eve of his summit with Trump
Residents and activists accused the Russian president of war crimes and expressed their support for Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion
Several hundred people gathered in Anchorage, Alaska , on Thursday to protest against the arrival of President Vladimir Putin, who is set to meet with President Donald Trump at their first summit since 2019. As per the organizers, nearly 500 protesters voiced their concerns in the city’s center during the demonstration.