The spotlight is set to shine on Alaska as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare for their eagerly awaited meeting, which will be Putin’s first visit to the US since the 2015 United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In the lead-up to this historic encounter, Trump is optimistic about reaching an agreement regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. However, officials from the White House are tempering expectations, characterising the meeting more as a “listening exercise” than a formal negotiation.
Scheduled for 11:30 am local time on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, the meeting will be significant. This equates to 5:30 am Saturday in Australian Eastern Standard Time. The leaders are expected to start with a private conversation, facilitated by interpreters, followed by a business lunch. The exact duration of their discussions will depend on how the meeting unfolds and will culminate in a joint press conference where both leaders will provide an overview of the outcomes. Trump has hinted that he might issue solo comments if the talks do not yield positive results.
Key topics for discussion are anticipated to include the resolution of the war in Ukraine and potential economic collaboration between the US and Russia. While Trump’s previous admonitions about new sanctions on Russia remain unexecuted, he has expressed the possibility of some form of “land swapping” to halt the conflict—an idea rejected by both Ukraine and Russia.
Ahead of the summit, Putin noted that the current US administration has made “energetic and sincere efforts” to broker peace in Ukraine. Trump, aiming for a trilateral discussion including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy post-summit, may face logistical challenges in bringing Zelenskyy to Alaska. A Ukrainian source indicated that travel from Kyiv to Alaska would be quite arduous, requiring nearly two days due to lengthy train journeys.
Should a trilateral meeting be pursued, Ukraine expects a ceasefire to be a precondition for any subsequent discussions. Furthermore, it is anticipated that Trump will reach out to Zelenskyy after the meeting to provide an update on the discussions and to deliberate on the next steps.
In summary, as Trump and Putin prepare for their face-to-face dialogue against the backdrop of significant international tension, the outcomes of their discussions could have a profound impact on US-Russia relations and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.