Trump and Putin Arrive in Alaska for a Crucial Summit on the Ukraine War

In a significant international development, U.S. President Donald Trump arrived on Friday morning, August 15, at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, in preparation for a crucial summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, in a new attempt to end the ongoing war in Ukraine that has lasted for more than three years.

Later that same day, the Russian president's plane landed at the same base, marking his first visit to Western territories since the launch of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, adding an exceptional diplomatic dimension to the summit.

Although initial expectations indicated that the talks would be held privately between the two leaders, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt announced to reporters aboard the U.S. presidential plane that the sessions would take place with the presence of aides to President Trump, most notably Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, reflecting the complexity surrounding the Ukrainian issue.

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Russian state television that the summit could last "at least six to seven hours," including a bilateral meeting between the two presidents, followed by an expanded meeting between the delegations, and then a joint press conference.

Peskov also indicated that the possibility of holding a trilateral meeting involving Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not excluded, should the Alaska talks make tangible progress towards a settlement.

In statements made by Trump during his trip to Alaska, he described Putin as a "very smart man," noting the mutual respect between them.

He also expressed his willingness to discuss the possibility of resuming economic cooperation between the United States and Russia, provided there is a breakthrough in the Ukrainian issue.

The U.S. president suggested that his country would provide security guarantees to Ukraine in coordination with Europe, while at the same time ruling out Kyiv's accession to NATO at this stage.

He also hinted at the possibility of some form of "land exchange" between Ukraine and Russia in the future, but emphasized that the final decision in this regard rests solely with the Ukrainian leadership.

The summit is scheduled to begin at 11:30 AM Alaska time (7:30 PM GMT), amid widespread global anticipation of the potential outcomes of these talks, which could change the course of the war and reshape the contours of European security and relations between Moscow and Washington.

This summit is the first direct meeting between a U.S. and Russian president in more than four years, enhancing its significance as a critical turning point in the trajectory of the Ukrainian crisis and international relations as a whole.