President Donald Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday amid mounting pressure to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The White House has described the summit, which was hastily arranged in under a week, as a “listening exercise,” while Trump has warned of “severe consequences” if Putin refuses to halt the conflict.
What to Know:
The summit will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time with a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin, followed by delegation talks and a joint press conference.
Russia’s delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, and sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev.
Ukraine will not be represented at the summit, though Trump held a virtual call with President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders earlier this week.
Trump has threatened new sanctions and tariffs if Russia does not commit to a ceasefire; he has also criticized Putin’s attacks on civilians.
Putin may seek territorial concessions and limits on Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, echoing past demands made during failed peace talks.
The summit is seen as a diplomatic win for Moscow which has long sought direct talks with Washington to legitimize its position in the war.
Stay with Newsweek as the Trump-Putin summit unfolds.
06:34 PM EDT
Why the summit is happening now
After months of stalled diplomacy, Trump and Putin are meeting in Alaska, following a shift in U.S. strategy aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The summit was requested by Moscow just days after Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian imports and threatened sweeping sanctions unless Russia halted its military campaign.
Since taking office in January, Trump had resisted direct talks with Putin, citing Russia’s battlefield momentum and lack of interest in peace. But frustration over the war’s toll and Putin’s intransigence led to Trump accelerating pressure tactics, including a sanctions deadline and economic penalties targeting Russian oil buyers.
06:22 PM EDT
How many times President Trump met Putin in person?
During Donald Trump’s first term, he met in person with Vladimir Putin a total of six times.
These encounters took place mostly on the sidelines of major international gatherings such as the G20 and APEC summits, as well as in more formal bilateral settings.
Their first notable meeting occurred in July 2017 at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. That summit included both an official meeting and a second, previously undisclosed private conversation later that evening. In November 2017, the two leaders met again briefly during the APEC Summit in Vietnam, where election interference and U.S.–Russia relations were discussed.
The most high-profile encounter took place on July 16, 2018, during the Helsinki Summit in Finland. This meeting lasted about two hours and was conducted one-on-one with only interpreters present, followed by a working lunch and a joint press conference. The Helsinki event drew intense global attention due to the closed-door format and Trump’s public remarks alongside Putin. The remaining meetings occurred in the context of other multilateral events, where they spoke briefly or held smaller sessions, adding up to a total of six in-person interactions during Trump’s first term.
Friday will be the first in person meeting between the two world leaders during Trump’s second term.
But the pair have held multiple phone calls since Trump returned to office in January.
06:05 PM EDT
When was the last time Putin visited the US?
Vladimir Putin’s most recent visit to the United States as president took place in September 2015, when he traveled to New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
During that trip, he met with President Barack Obama and delivered a speech at the UN. The meeting between the two leaders focused on pressing global issues at the time, including the conflict in Syria and U.S.–Russia relations, which were already strained following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Since that 2015 trip, Putin has not made any further visits to the U.S. While Russian foreign ministers and other officials have visited, the Russian president himself has remained absent from American soil for nearly a decade. His absence reflects the deepening diplomatic rift between Washington and Moscow, especially in light of sanctions, military tensions, and diverging geopolitical priorities.
06:00 PM EDT
Trump compares Alaska summit to ‘chess game’
President Donald Trump compared his upcoming Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin to a strategic game of chess.
“It’s like a chess game,” Trump said during an interview with conservative talk show host Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Radio.
“This meeting sets up the second meeting, but there is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting.”
05:50 PM EDT
Trump talks tough ahead of meeting with Putin
President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not going to mess around with me” at their Alaskan summit on Friday.
During a press conference at the White House, Trump was asked if Putin had a “strong hand” ahead of their meeting.
“Well, he came to our country,” Trump responded. “I think if I weren’t president, he would take over all of Ukraine, it’s a war that should have never happened.
“If I weren’t president, in my opinion, he would much rather take over all of Ukraine.
“But I am president and he’s not going to mess around with me.”
05:38 PM EDT
What is the schedule for Trump-Putin in Alaska?
The summit, to be held at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage and centered on agreeing a settlement on Ukraine, will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time, the Kremlin said, according to state-run news agency RIA.
It will begin with a head-to-head meeting between Trump and Putin, the Kremlin said, leading into negotiations between the two delegations and a working breakfast.
Trump and Putin will then hold a press conference after the talks.
Ushakov said the meeting will also cover broader peace and security, including the “most pressing international and regional issues,” the Russian state news outlet TASS reported.
“An exchange of views is expected on the further development of bilateral cooperation, including in the trade and economic sphere. I note that this cooperation has huge—and unfortunately still untapped—potential,” Ushakov said, originally in Russian.
05:34 PM EDT
President Trump to meet Putin in Alaska amid Ukraine peace push
President Donald Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska for a hastily arranged summit aimed at exploring a path to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting, set at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, marks Putin’s first visit to U.S. soil in a decade.
The summit comes amid mounting criticism from European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was excluded from the talks. Zelensky joined a video call with Trump and EU officials earlier this week, where five principles for negotiations—including a cease-fire—were discussed.
Trump described the Alaska meeting as a “listening exercise” and suggested it cold pave the way for a second summit involving Zelensky. However, his openness to territorial concessions has alarmed Kyiv and its allies, who fear any deal struck without Ukraine’s input could legitimize Russian aggression.
05:33 PM EDT
What time does Trump meet with Putin?
The Alaska summit will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time on Friday with a one-on-one meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, followed by delegation talks and a joint press conference.
It is being held at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.