It would not be an exaggeration to say that the whole world has frozen in anticipation of the meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss an end to Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. What is known about this meeting so far, UNN reports.
Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt stated that the meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will take place on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city.
President Trump is determined to try to end this war and stop the killings
Leavitt also reported that Trump will fly to Alaska for talks with Putin on Friday morning. The program includes an official lunch for the delegations, followed by a press conference.
She also emphasized that President Trump has repeatedly stated that he will always prioritize peace and partnership when these results can be achieved.
The Russian side stated that the meeting between Putin and Trump will begin at approximately 11:30 local time (i.e., 22:30 Kyiv time) with a one-on-one conversation in the presence of interpreters. This will be followed by negotiations between the delegations, which will continue over a working breakfast.
Caroline Leavitt reported that this meeting is taking place at the request of Russian President Putin. That is why Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be present, although there were earlier rumors that he might be in Alaska at the same time.
This meeting happened because the President of Russia asked the President of the United States to meet through his special envoy Steve Witkoff. The President is agreeing to this meeting at the request of President Putin
For his part, Zelenskyy stated that Trump and Putin can discuss issues of relations between their countries, but no one has the right to decide the fate of Ukraine without its participation.
If we talk about negotiations, they are important at the level of leaders, but it is impossible to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no one will accept this. Therefore, the conversation between the President of the United States and Putin can certainly be important for the bilateral track, but they cannot accept anything about Ukraine without us
Zelenskyy also emphasized that only a trilateral meeting involving him, Trump, and Putin can end the war.
European Involvement
Zelenskyy, as well as European leaders, have repeatedly emphasized that the participation of European countries in the processes that may be launched by the Trump-Putin meeting is mandatory. It was precisely for the purpose of coordinating positions that online consultations were held on Wednesday with the participation of key European leaders, President Zelenskyy, and Donald Trump.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during this online summit, stated that the meeting in Alaska should address fundamental Ukrainian and European security interests. This message was sent to the American leader.
In Alaska, it must be about fundamental Ukrainian and European security interests. That was the message we communicated to Trump today. We were unanimous in our assessment of the situation and in what goal could be achieved
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the Italian government expects Russia to define its position at the Alaska summit during negotiations between Donald Trump and Putin. She emphasized that until now, Russia has not made any convincing step towards peace.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and others expressed similar sentiments.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the parties have agreed on five key positions for ending the war.
Today, we discussed our common positions with the US President. There was a coordination call before that, as I said, we agreed on common principles, 5 principles. This is the format of negotiations. Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine. We must prepare a trilateral format of talks
At the same time, the Ukrainian leader emphasized that Ukraine does not intend to consider territorial concessions to the aggressor state. In particular, the Ukrainian army will not withdraw from Donbas.
Skepticism about the Alaska Summit
The media generally are quite skeptical about the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin. In particular, Bloomberg writes that Ukrainian and European leaders are concerned that Donald Trump will be deceived a second time when he meets with the Russian dictator in Alaska on Friday. Perhaps, if Trump wants to emerge from this meeting as a master negotiator, not a weak player, the publication writes, his smartest move might be to postpone the summit until he is better prepared.
The Telegraph writes that Trump is preparing to offer Russian dictator Vladimir Putin access to rare earth minerals in Alaska to incentivize him to end the war against Ukraine.
The same publication wrote that a deal on the war in Ukraine between Trump and Putin in Alaska is unlikely due to Zelenskyy's absence from the negotiations. Territorial concessions are the main stumbling block; the President of Ukraine rejects the exchange of territories.
Also, according to the Institute for the Study of War, it was reported that the Russian side confirmed that its position on the war against Ukraine has not changed, and the Kremlin's goals remain the same ahead of the Alaska summit on August 15.