{"id":346939,"date":"2025-08-15T16:10:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T16:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/346939\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T16:10:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T16:10:27","slug":"trump-and-putin-to-meet-in-alaska-for-high-stakes-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/346939\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska for high-stakes summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> is meeting face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a> in Alaska on Friday for a high-stakes summit that could determine not only the trajectory of the war in Ukraine but also the fate of European security.<\/p>\n

The sit-down offers Trump a chance to prove to the world that he is both a master dealmaker and a global peacemaker. He and his allies have cast him as a heavyweight negotiator who can find a way to bring the slaughter to a close<\/a>, something he used to boast he could do quickly.<\/p>\n

For Putin, a summit with Trump offers a long-sought opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia\u2019s gains, block Kyiv\u2019s bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of the media stand outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia\u2019s President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/p>\n

Members of the media stand outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia\u2019s President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/p>\n

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There are significant risks for Trump. By bringing Putin onto U.S. soil, the president is giving Russia\u2019s leader the validation he desires after his ostracization following his invasion of Ukraine<\/a> 3 1\/2 years ago. The exclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> from the summit also deals a heavy blow to the West\u2019s policy of \u201cnothing about Ukraine without Ukraine\u201d and invites the possibility that Trump could agree to a deal that Ukraine does not want.<\/p>\n

Any success is far from assured, especially as Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace. Putin has long resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine\u2019s mobilization efforts, which were conditions rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies.<\/p>\n

\u201cHIGH STAKES!!!\u201d Trump posted on Truth Social as his motorcade idled outside the White House shortly after sunrise, about an hour before he boarded Air Force One. <\/p>\n

On his way to Alaska, Putin stopped in Magadan in Russia\u2019s Far East, where on Friday he visited a factory producing omega-3 fish oil capsules, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Putin will review materials on Ukraine, bilateral tensions, economic cooperation and global affairs during his four-hour flight to Anchorage, where he will be greeted at his plane by Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian state TV.<\/p>\n

Trump on Thursday said there was a 25% chance that the summit would fail, but he also floated the idea that if the meeting succeeds he could bring Zelenskyy to Alaska for a subsequent, three-way meeting, a possibility that Russia hasn\u2019t agreed to.<\/p>\n

When asked in Anchorage about Trump\u2019s estimate of a 25% chance of failure, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Russia \u201cnever plans ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n AP AUDIO: Trump\u2019s meeting with Putin could determine the trajectory of the Russia-Ukraine war\n <\/p>\n

AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports President Trump has left for his Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that we have arguments, a clear, understandable position. We will state it,\u201d he said in footage posted to the Russian Foreign Ministry\u2019s Telegram channel.<\/p>\n

Trump said in a Fox News radio interview Thursday that he didn\u2019t know if they would get \u201can immediate ceasefire\u201d but he wanted a broad peace deal done quickly. That seemingly echoes Putin\u2019s longtime argument that Russia favors a comprehensive deal to end the fighting, reflecting its demands, not a temporary halt to hostilities. <\/p>\n

The Kremlin said Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one discussion, followed by the two delegations meeting and talks continuing over \u201ca working breakfast.\u201d They are then expected to hold a joint press conference. <\/p>\n

Trump has offered shifting explanations for his meeting goals <\/p>\n

In the days leading up to the summit, set for a military base near Anchorage, Trump described it as \u201c really a feel-out meeting<\/a>.\u201d But he\u2019s also warned of \u201cvery severe consequences\u201d<\/a> for Russia if Putin doesn\u2019t agree to end the war<\/a> and said that though Putin might bully other leaders, \u201cHe\u2019s not going to mess around with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump said Friday his talks with Putin will include Russian demands that Ukraine cede territory as part of a peace deal. He said Ukraine has to decide, but he also suggested Zelenskyy should accept concessions. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they\u2019ll make a proper decision,\u201d Trump told reporters traveling with him to Alaska. <\/p>\n

Trump said there\u2019s \u201ca possibility\u201d of the United States offering Ukraine security guarantees alongside European powers, \u201cbut not in the form of NATO.\u201d Putin has fiercely resisted Ukraine joining the trans-Atlantic security alliance, a long-term goal for Ukrainians seeking to forge stronger ties with the West. <\/p>\n

Zelenskyy has time and again cast doubts on Putin\u2019s willingness to negotiate in good faith. His European allies, who\u2019ve held increasingly urgent meetings with U.S. leaders over the past week, have stressed the need for Ukraine to be involved in any peace talks.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People hold a large Ukrainian flag during a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia\u2019s President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/p>\n

People hold a large Ukrainian flag during a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia\u2019s President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/p>\n

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Political commentators in Moscow, meanwhile, have relished that the summit leaves Ukraine and its European allies on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

Dmitry Suslov, a pro-Kremlin voice, expressed hope that the summit will \u201cdeepen a trans-Atlantic rift and weaken Europe\u2019s position as the toughest enemy of Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The summit could have far-reaching implications<\/p>\n

Foreign governments will be watching closely to see how Trump reacts to Putin, likely gauging what the interaction might mean for their own dealings with the U.S. president, who has eschewed traditional diplomacy for his own transactional approach to relationships.<\/p>\n

The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources. <\/p>\n

Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia\u2019s much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line.<\/p>\n

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, said U.S. antagonists like China, Iran and North Korea will be paying attention to Trump\u2019s posture to see \u201cwhether or not the threats that he continues to make against Putin are indeed credible.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOr, if has been the past track record, he continues to back down and look for ways to wiggle out of the kind of threats and pressure he has promised to apply,\u201d said Kendall-Taylor, who is also a former senior intelligence officer.<\/p>\n

While some have objected to the location of the summit, Trump has said he thought it was \u201cvery respectful\u201d of Putin to come to the U.S. instead of a meeting in Russia.<\/p>\n

Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin Moscow-based analyst, observed that the choice of Alaska as the summit\u2019s venue \u201cunderlined the distancing from Europe and Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci, File)<\/p>\n

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci, File)<\/p>\n

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Being on a military base allows the leaders to avoid protests and meet more securely, but the location carries its own significance because of its history and location. <\/p>\n

Alaska, which the U.S. purchased from Russia in 1867, is separated from Russia at its closest point by just 3 miles (less than 5 kilometers) and the international date line. <\/p>\n

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It continues to play a role today, as planes from the base still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jonathan J. Cooper in Washington, Elise Morton in London and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7655],"tags":[69212,6305,122993,12019,5293,7667,122992,32,4179,8614,56247,285,332,7659,7661,9740,63657,657,7662,5213,333,2601,7660,10673,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-346939","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-russia","8":"tag-ak-state-wire","9":"tag-alaska","10":"tag-andrea-kendall-taylor","11":"tag-ap-top-news","12":"tag-diplomacy","13":"tag-dmitry-peskov","14":"tag-dmitry-suslov","15":"tag-donald-trump","16":"tag-general-news","17":"tag-international-agreements","18":"tag-north-atlantic-treaty-organization","19":"tag-politics","20":"tag-russia","21":"tag-russia-government","22":"tag-russia-ukraine-war","23":"tag-sergei-lavrov","24":"tag-sergei-markov","25":"tag-ukraine","26":"tag-ukraine-government","27":"tag-united-states-government","28":"tag-vladimir-putin","29":"tag-volodymyr-zelenskyy","30":"tag-war-and-unrest","31":"tag-washington-news","32":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115033658479316085","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}