Trump, Putin meet in Alaska, aiming for Ukraine peace deal
U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on Friday, August 15.
Putin has arrived in Alaska
This marks the first time since 2007 that a White House leader has hosted the Russian president for private talks in the United States. The meeting is billed as a potential step toward ending the war in Ukraine, but Kyiv and Moscow remain, for now, far from a common formula for a peace agreement.
Putin arrives in Alaska
The Il-96 aircraft of Russian President Vladimir Putin landed at the Elmendorf–Richardson military base in Anchorage.
International media reports that Putin came to Alaska from Magadan.
White House announces change to negotiation format: No more one-on-one meeting
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the planned format for the discussions between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been changed. Instead of a one-on-one meeting between the U.S. president and the Kremlin leader, a "three-on-three" format will be used, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff participating on the American side, according to the BBC.
She did not specify whether the Russian delegation would be expanded proportionally for this part of the talks.
It was previously expected that the presidents of the two countries would have a discussion by themselves first, and later, other officials would join them for a working breakfast.
According to Leavitt, in the second part of the negotiations, the leaders will be joined by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Trump and Putin to hold press conference with "In Pursuit of Peace" as backdrop
BBC journalists report they are currently inside the military base, in the area designated for media representatives.
Screens are showing images of the preparations for the joint press conference between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, scheduled to take place later.
The reporters suggest the backdrop—a banner reading "In Pursuit of Peace"—hints that the two leaders appear to view today's negotiations with optimism.
Donald Trump arrives in Anchorage
Air Force One, U.S. President Donald Trump's aircraft, has landed at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, where talks between the leaders of the United States and Russia are set to take place. Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive at the same location around 11:00 a.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT), approximately half an hour after Trump. According to the Kremlin, the U.S. president intends to personally greet the Russian leader.
While on his way to Alaska to meet with Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he had a conversation with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. The White House leader emphasized that he had discussed the release of 16 prisoners with his counterpart, which has already occurred, as talks continue for the release of another 1,300, according to The Guardian.
In his message, Trump also mentioned a possible future meeting with the president of Belarus.
Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have agreed to meet after the Alaska summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, as reported by The Kyiv Independent.
The two exchanged messages before the Trump-Putin meeting. The Élysée Palace described the dialogue between the two leaders as "close and constant," but did not provide a specific date or location for the subsequent meeting.
On Wednesday, August 13, Zelenskyy traveled to Germany and on Thursday, August 14, to the United Kingdom to consult with European allies.
Following his discussions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy had a videoconference with Trump and European leaders on Wednesday.
It is worth mentioning that the Putin–Trump summit will take place on the evening of Friday, August 15, at the Elmendorf–Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
