RFE
09 Aug 2025, 04:10 GMT+10
US President Donald Trump says he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to discuss the war in Ukraine.
It will be the first summit of US and Russian presidents since Putin and then-President Joe Biden met in Geneva in June 2021 about six months before relations between Moscow and Washington ruptured when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on August 8 after signing a peace agreement with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Trump said a deal to stop the fighting between Ukraine and Russia is getting very close.
He suggested that his meeting with the Russian leader could come before a sit-down discussion involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Were going to have a meeting with Russia, start off with Russia, he told reporters.
And well announce a location. I think the location will be a very popular one, Trump said, adding that he didnt want an announcement on talks with Russia to overshadow the importance of the Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement.
Trump later announced Anchorage, Alaska, as the meeting location in a post on social meeting and said more details would follow.
There was no immediate response from the Kremlin.
Zelenskyy is not scheduled to be in Alaska, US media reported, quoting sources. But a meeting with Zelenskyy is expected at some point in the future.
Trump gave some clues about a deal to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, saying it will involve some exchange of territories.
"Its very complicated but we are going to get some [territory] back. Some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both," Trump said.
Zelenskyy has to get everything he needs because he has to get ready to sign something and I think hes working hard to get that done.
Trump last month set August 8 as the deadline for Putin to agree to a cease-fire or Russia would face severe tariffs targeting its oil and other exports, and its trading partners, namely China and India, could face secondary tariffs on oil purchased from Russia.
SEE ALSO:
The US Wants To Squeeze Putin. Are Oil Sales To China The Answer?
Trump on August 6 signed anexecutive orderimposing an additional 25 percent tariff on India but did not raise tariffs on China.
Trump said it was possible that move had been an important development in getting the Putin-Trump summit planned. Another factor that had an impact was NATO stepped up in terms of buying military equipment, he said.
Putin's foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov on August 7 said preparations for the meeting had begun and the two sides had already agreed on the venue "in principle."
"At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement has been reached in principle to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days," Ushakov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agencies.
Ushakov's comments came after Trump said a day earlier the meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin "made a lot of progress" and added that he might meet with Putin soon.
The Russian leader has long insisted that Ukraine relinquish the territories Russia occupies -- including Crimea, which Russia annexed illegally in 2014 -- that Western nations stop supplying Ukraine with weapons, and that Ukraine be excluded from NATO membership.
Zelenskyy and his European allies have rejected those demands, though Zelenskyy has expressed openness to meeting with Putin.
Get a daily dose of Calgary Monitor news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Calgary Monitor.
More Information(Photo credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images) Budding star Shane van Gisbergen has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Trackhouse...
US President Donald Trump says he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to discuss the war in Ukraine....
The two leaders will meet in Alaska next week, the US president has said US President Donald Trump has said that he will meet his...
(Photo credit: Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) As the NASCAR Cup Series hits the two-thirds...
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a US-brokered peace deal aimed at ending decades of conflict between the two countries...
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a US-brokered peace deal aimed at ending decades of conflict between the two countries...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) Fresh off one of the biggest acquisitions in MLS history, Los Angeles FC look to begin a new...
(Photo credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images) The first-place Philadelphia Union will try to extend their four-match unbeaten run on Saturday...
(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) Wins have been hard to come by for Atlanta United this season, across all competitions....
(Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk could miss two to three months if he decides...
(Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images) Both teams will have their starting quarterbacks back on the field when the Calgary Stampeders...
(Photo credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images) The Toronto Argonauts look to continue their dominance of their provincial rival on...
