US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, in a high-stakes summit that could shape the future of the war in Ukraine.
It is Putin’s first trip to Western territory since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 — a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and in which Russia has recently made fresh territorial gains.
The meeting, proposed by Putin but hosted at Trump’s invitation, comes amid heightened global scrutiny. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was excluded from the summit, are watching closely. Zelensky has refused Trump’s calls to cede territory seized by Russia.
Trump has described the talks as a “feel-out meeting” to gauge Putin’s intentions.
“If it’s a bad meeting, it’ll end very quickly. If it’s a good meeting, we could have peace in the pretty near future,” Trump told reporters Thursday, estimating a 25% chance of failure.
The US president, who has pledged to consult European allies and Zelensky before finalising any deal, said any settlement would be discussed in a three-way meeting with Ukraine’s leader to “divvy up” disputed territory.
Trump’s history with Putin remains contentious. At a 2018 summit in Helsinki, Trump drew fierce criticism for appearing to side with Putin over US intelligence agencies on election interference. Since returning to the White House, he has maintained that he could end the war within 24 hours, blaming predecessor Joe Biden for the conflict.
Despite frequent contacts with the Kremlin and a combative February 28 White House meeting in which he publicly chastised Zelensky, Trump has expressed frustration at Putin’s refusal to compromise. He has warned of “very severe consequences” if Moscow rejects a ceasefire but agreed to meet in Alaska nonetheless.
Historic and Strategic Venue
Talks are scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. (1900 GMT) at Elmendorf, the largest US military base in Alaska and a former Cold War surveillance hub monitoring the Soviet Union. The location carries symbolic weight — the US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, a historical land deal Moscow has recently invoked in territorial rhetoric.
According to the Kremlin, the two leaders will meet privately with interpreters before a working lunch with aides. Neither is expected to leave the base for Anchorage, where protesters have displayed pro-Ukraine messages.
Putin’s travel remains limited due to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, though the US — not a party to the ICC — has temporarily eased certain sanctions to allow his delegation to enter and access financial services in Alaska.
Criticism and Caution
The summit represents a marked departure from the stance of many Western leaders, who have insisted that Ukraine be at the table for any negotiations about its future. Zelensky on Tuesday called the Alaska meeting “a personal victory” for Putin, saying the trip ends his isolation and delays sanctions Trump had promised without progress.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged the inclusion of binding security guarantees for Ukraine, though Trump has played down the idea.
Daniel Fried, a former US diplomat now with the Atlantic Council, cautioned that Putin could seek to exploit Trump’s deal-making instincts.
“Putin is a master of the new shiny object which turns out to be meaningless,” Fried said, warning that any apparent concessions should be treated with scepticism.
