Alaska\’s Alaskan Summit: Trump, Putin Gear Up for Game‑Changing Meeting

Alaska\’s Alaskan Summit: Trump, Putin Gear Up for Game‑Changing Meeting

Alaskan Summit: Trump and Putin Await Ukraine’s Fate

By AFP – Odesa, 2025-08-18

Alaska’s Breathtaking Stage

From the heart of Alaska, a rare high‑stakes summit will bring President Donald Trump and Russian Leader Vladimir Putin together for the first time on Western soil since February 2022. Their meeting, scheduled for Friday, could decide Ukraine’s future.

Russia’s War‑Time Momentum

  • Since the February invasion, the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa has endured relentless Russian attacks.
  • Russia’s forces have gained rapid traction just before the summit’s kickoff.

Trump’s Defiant Stance

President Trump, invited at Putin’s suggestion, remains defensive. He warned that the meeting might collapse within minutes if the Russian leader does not offer concessions.

Global Watchful Eyes

European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who declined Trump’s pressure to relinquish territory, will scrutinize every word and gesture.

Trump’s “Feel‑Out Meeting”

Trump, known for his competitive negotiating reputation, described the summit as a “feel‑out meeting” to test Putin, whom he last met in 2019. He told reporters at the White House:

“I am president, and he’s not going to mess around with me,” Trump said. “If it’s a bad meeting, it’ll end very quickly, and if it’s a good meeting, we’re going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future.”

Outcome Uncertain

Trump gauged the summit’s chance of failure at one in four, emphasizing the delicate balance between a quick end and the prospect of near‑future peace.

US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin

Three‑Way Negotiations Set to Shape Ukraine’s Future

US President Donald Trump has signalled a new direction for Ukraine’s security by pledging to hold a joint meeting with European allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The goal: a compact that would allocate territories without a unilateral decision from Moscow.

Trump’s Changing Position on Russia

  • Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin, a stance that drew sharp criticism after the 2018 summit when he appeared subservient to Moscow’s denials of US intelligence.
  • During his brief return to the White House, Trump boasted of his “relationship” with Putin, blamed former President Joe Biden for the war, and vowed to restore peace in 24 hours.
  • Despite continual calls to Putin and a heated February 28 discussion in which Trump publicly berated Zelensky, Moscow has shown no indication of compromise.

Alaska Summit Heats Up the Cold War Legacy

  • The meeting will begin at 11:30 am (1900 GMT) Friday at the Elmendorf Air Force Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska and a Cold War outpost that monitored the Soviet Union.
  • Adding historical weight, the United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 — a transaction Moscow has used to argue the legitimacy of land swaps.
  • The Kremlin expects the leaders to meet alone with interpreters before a working lunch with aides; neither leader is anticipated to leave the base for Anchorage, where protesters have put up signs of solidarity with Ukraine.

Putin’s Arrest Warrant and the United States’ Sanctions Flexibility

  1. Putin faces a warrant from the International Criminal Court, causing him to curtail travel sharply since the war.
  2. The United States is not a party to the Hague tribunal, and Trump’s Treasury Department temporarily eased sanctions on top Russian officials to allow them to travel and use bank cards in Alaska.

A Personal Victory for Putin?

The summit marks a sharp shift from Western European leaders and President Biden, who have vowed no discussions with Russia about Ukraine’s future unless Ukraine is also at the table. Zelensky called the Alaska summit a “personal victory” for Putin, noting that Moscow is “coming out of isolation” and has “somehow postponed sanctions” that Trump had vowed to impose on Russia without progress.

Security Guarantees and the Trump‑Putin Dynamic

  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for security guarantees for Ukraine — an idea downplayed by Trump at the start of his latest term.
  • Former US diplomat Daniel Fried, now at the Atlantic Council, said Trump has the means to pressure Putin but that the Russian could distract Trump by offering something new.
  • Fried argued that Putin is a master of the “new shiny object” that turns out to be meaningless.