Trump heads to Alaska for high-stakes meeting with Putin

The US president first left the White House for Joint Base Andrews, from where he flew to Alaska on Air Force One.

Alaska summit schedule

The meeting will take place at the US military base Elmendorf-Richardson. The White House today released the schedule for the Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage:

• 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time (1:45 p.m. Kyiv time) – the US president leaves the White House for Anchorage;

• 11:00 a.m. local time (10:00 p.m. Kyiv time) – Trump and Putin begin talks;

• 5:45 p.m. local time (4:45 a.m. Saturday Kyiv time) – Trump is scheduled to return to Washington.

As the Kremlin announced, there will be brief statements by the leaders before the summit. The Trump-Putin one-on-one meeting will take place only with translators present, followed by a delegation meeting over a working breakfast.

The Russian delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev.

According to White House reports cited by the media, the US delegation will include:

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
• Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe
• White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
• White House Political Consultant James Blair
• Deputy Chief of Staff Beau Harrison
• White House Deputy Chief of Staff Nick Luna
• Deputy Communications Director Dan Scavino
• White House communications director Steven Cheung
• Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel
• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
• White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf
• Policy Advisor Ross Worthington
• Special Envoy Steve Witkoff
• US Ambassador Monica Crowley

The leaders may present the results at a joint press conference, although Trump has said he may speak separately if the talks fail.

The Russian leader made a stop en route to Alaska for a regional visit to Magadan.

Trump-Putin meeting

The key topic of today’s summit in Alaska will be the war in Ukraine. The US side emphasizes its aim to achieve a ceasefire. Trump assessed the chances of the meeting with Putin failing at 25%.

The day before, the US president held an online conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU leaders, assuring that no territorial issues would be decided without Kyiv.

However, according to Western media, the Kremlin proposed a freezing of the conflict in exchange for control over parts of Donbas and Crimea. Zelenskyy categorically rejected this idea, emphasizing that Ukraine’s territorial integrity is enshrined in its Constitution, and withdrawal from Donbas would only open the way for a new Russian offensive.

In the conversation with European leaders two days before the current summit, the parties agreed on five principles, including security guarantees for Ukraine and the strengthening of sanctions if Moscow refuses to halt hostilities.

The US president also stated that he is considering quickly holding a subsequent trilateral summit with Zelenskyy and Putin. However, the decision will depend on the results of today’s talks. If there is no progress, Washington is prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia and its allies.

Territorial issues and security guarantees are among the most complex topics in the current negotiations, as both Trump and his administration consider territory and concessions part of a peace agreement.

Ukraine emphasizes that a ceasefire must be accompanied by clear agreements and obligations from the US, Europe, and even Russia, without any compromises to Ukrainian sovereignty.

In Anchorage, which is hosting today’s summit, a large number of people have gathered for a rally in support of Ukraine.

More on the Trump-Putin meeting, what preceded it, and possible scenarios, read in RBC-Ukraine’s coverage.