US President Donald Trump is set to hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a "highly anticipated" summit, scheduled for August
15 in Alaska. “The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Notably, Trump's announcement came just a few hours after he told reporters that he planned to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine with Putin. The talks will mark Putin’s first visit to the United States in a decade --his last trip was in 2015, when he attended the UN General Assembly in New York. The summit will mark the first in-person meeting between an American and Russian president since June 2021 and comes amid faltering efforts to broker a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The conflict, now in its fourth year, has devastated much of Ukraine’s east and south and shows little sign of resolution despite mounting international pressure. Trump has recently grown visibly frustrated with Moscow’s continued missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of stalling. Earlier this week, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian imports, citing New Delhi’s ongoing oil purchases from Russia, and warned that broader secondary sanctions could follow if Putin fails to commit to a ceasefire agreement by August 8, a deadline the administration had set unilaterally.
Why Is Meeting Scheduled In Alaska?
The summit will take place in Alaska, a symbolic location that Russia sold to the United States in 1867. Notably, Alaska's western tip lies just across the Bering Strait from Russia’s easternmost point. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov in a statement said, "Alaska and the Arctic are where our countries' economic interests intersect, and there are prospects for large-scale, mutually beneficial projects."
"But, of course, the presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," he added.
While the main focus of the summit will be the situation in Ukraine, Ushakov mentioned that Russia has invited Trump to hold the next meeting on Russian soil. "A corresponding invitation has already been sent to the US president," he noted.
Will Zelenskyy Be Part Of The Meeting?
Zelenskyy has consistently advocated for a three-way summit, calling direct talks with Putin as "the only way to make progress toward peace."
Russia has dismissed the idea for now, stating that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy could only take place in the "final phase" of negotiations, once key terms have been agreed upon. When asked if meeting with Zelenskyy was a prerequisite, Trump reportedly responded, “No, he doesn’t.”
