The United States President, Donald Trump, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have scheduled a meeting in Alaska on August 15.
The primary objective of this meeting is to negotiate an end to Russia's 41-month invasion of Ukraine. This announcement, initially made by Trump and later confirmed by the Kremlin, marks the first face-to-face interaction between the two leaders since Trump assumed office in January.
It also represents the first meeting between U.S. and Russian leaders since June 2021, approximately seven months prior to Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine.
According to American Military News, the timing of this meeting is crucial, as Trump's patience with Putin appears to be waning, while Putin remains unyielding to the Kremlin's maximalist demands. The two leaders have communicated through six phone calls, and the White House's chief envoy has made at least three trips to Moscow.
In his announcement on August 8, Trump hinted that a potential resolution could involve a "swapping of territories," a proposition that could clash with Kyiv's firm stance on reclaiming all territory currently occupied by Russia. "We're going to get some back, and we're going to get some switched," Trump stated at the White House. "There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both, but we'll be talking about that either later, or tomorrow."
Trump also indicated that his meeting with Putin might precede a discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, although the timing of this meeting remains uncertain. Zelenskyy, who will not be present at the Alaska meeting, categorically refused to surrender land to Russia.
"Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier," he declared in a video released shortly after Trump's announcement. "This war must be brought to an end and Russia must end it. Russia started it and is dragging it out, ignoring all deadlines, and that is the problem, not something else," he added.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov confirmed the meeting and noted that Alaska was a symbolic location due to the shared Arctic borders of the two countries. "Russia and the United States are close neighbors, bordering each other," Ushakov said in a video released by the Kremlin. "Of course the presidents themselves will be focusing on possibilities for reaching a lasting resolution to the Ukrainian crisis."
Russia's invasion, the largest land war in Europe since World War II, has wreaked havoc on Ukraine and significantly altered Russia, both economically and politically. Western estimates suggest that Moscow's casualties, both dead and wounded, exceed 1 million. Ukraine's war casualties are believed to surpass 100,000, with total casualties around 400,000.
Despite the heavy toll and international pressure, Putin continues to leverage his advantage both on and off the battlefield. Russian troops are steadily wearing down Ukrainian defenses, closing in on two major cities, Pokrovsk and Chasiv Yar. Russian forces have also unleashed a record number of missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities in recent months, targeting civilians, residential buildings, and electricity infrastructure.
On the morning of August 9, a Russian drone struck a minibus in the suburbs of the southern city of Kherson, killing at least two civilian passengers and injuring 16. Officials reported that the bus was subsequently targeted by a second drone a so-called "double tap" as police and emergency responders attended to the injured. Three officers suffered concussions, officials said.
Trump's decision to meet Putin in person a move that his predecessor Joe Biden declined following the invasion reflects Trump's belief that his relationship with the Russian leader will result in a lasting peace agreement. For Putin, meeting Trump in person without the presence of Zelenskyy or Ukrainian officials is a minor victory, reflecting Putin's view that Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader and that a comprehensive deal to end the war can only be negotiated directly with the United States.
Putin's trip to the United States also represents a minor victory, as he is currently under a war crimes arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. Only members of the court are obligated to detain him, and the Trump administration has openly expressed its hostility towards the Hague tribunal.
Brett McGurk, a former White House National Security Council adviser under four presidents, expressed concern about the optics of Putin traveling to the United States. In an interview on CNN, McGurk emphasized that a cease-fire must be the priority. If this is not achievable, he said, "you have to walk away. Otherwise, [the war] is going to continue and Putin gets a big gigantic win."
Oxana Shevel, a political scientist and expert on Ukraine and Russia at Tufts University, noted that Trump recently expressed his disappointment with Putin for continuing missile and drone barrages after cordial phone conversations if Putin didn't agree to a cease-fire. "He's clearly climbing down from that position," Shevel told RFE/RL.
The fact that neither Ukraine nor any European countries will have any representation at the Alaska talks is also problematic, she said. "They said before that any deal about Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine," she said. "That's been the position of the Ukrainian government for a long time."
The meaning of Trump's reference to "swapping" territory remains unclear, as Ukraine currently does not hold any Russian territory. Shevel suggested that this could involve a few villages near Ukraine's northeastern border that Russia has occupied in exchange for the part of the Donetsk region that Russia doesn't hold.
The announcement of the summit coincided with the deadline set by Trump for Putin to agree to a cease-fire or face severe tariffs targeting its oil and other exports, and its trading partners could face secondary tariffs on oil purchased from Russia. Russia has largely funded its war effort through oil and gas sales, primarily to China and India.
Trump recently signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 percent tariff on India but did not increase tariffs on China. The Russian leader has consistently demanded that Ukraine relinquish the territories Russia occupies including Crimea, which Russia claims to have annexed in 2014. He has also insisted that Western nations cease supplying Ukraine with weapons and that Ukraine be excluded from NATO membership.
Zelenskyy and his European allies have rejected these demands, although Zelenskyy has expressed a willingness to meet with Putin. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen criticized Trump for failing to "get tough" on the Kremlin. "Setting deadlines and blowing through them deeply undermines Americas credibility, our deterrence to other aggressors, and our ability to finally get Russia to the negotiating table," she said in a statement.
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