U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on August 15 to discuss a potential peace deal for the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump confirmed the meeting on social media, and the Kremlin later called the location “quite logical” due to its proximity to Russia. Ukraine has yet to respond to the announcement.
The meeting follows controversial remarks from Trump suggesting Ukraine may need to cede territory to end the war. “We are going to get some back, we’re going to get some switched,” he said Friday. “There will be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.” Sources told CBS News that the White House is pushing European leaders to accept a deal that would allow Russia to retain Crimea and the entire Donbas region, while giving up parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Putin reportedly pitched a similar plan during recent talks with Trump’s envoy in Moscow.
It is unclear if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the talks. He has repeatedly rejected any deal requiring territorial concessions and insists on full sovereignty over Ukraine’s land. A White House official told CBS that discussions remain “fluid,” with the possibility of Zelensky joining in some capacity.
Three earlier rounds of Ukraine-Russia talks, held in Istanbul, failed to produce results. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine become a neutral state, abandon its NATO goals, and lift all sanctions. Despite Trump’s optimism, analysts remain skeptical. “This won’t be easy,” one senior official said.
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Trump had set an August 8 deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face new U.S. sanctions. But no new sanctions were announced as the focus shifted to next week’s summit. If successful, the Alaska meeting could mark a dramatic turning point in the war that began in February 2022.