Trump to Meet Putin in Alaska: A High-Stakes Summit on Ukraine Peace Talks

Anchorage, Alaska (August 2025)

Falling at the crossroads of diplomacy and controversy, U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, 2025, aiming to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

Why Alaska?

This summit marks the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin since 2018, and the first U.S.-Russia summit hosted on U.S. soil since 1988.

Alaska provides a neutral yet symbolically strategic backdrop—once part of the Russian Empire, it carries historical weight.

The Agenda: Ukraine and Territorial Swaps?

Trump has hinted that peace negotiations may involve “territorial swaps”, a proposal that has ignited pushback from Ukraine and its allies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected any deal that excludes Kyiv or involves ceding territory, calling such talks “dead decisions”.

International Ramifications

Zelensky stressed that: “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier”

He also warned that any agreement made without Ukraine’s involvement would undermine peace efforts and likely fail.

European officials remain skeptical that such a meeting—on American soil and potentially sidelining Ukraine—could yield a fair or lasting resolution