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Trump says to meet Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a meeting in Helsinki, Finland on July 16, 2018. (AFP File Photo)
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U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a meeting in Helsinki, Finland on July 16, 2018. (AFP File Photo)
August 09, 2025 01:59 AM GMT+03:00

United States President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in the state of Alaska, marking the first summit between the leaders since 2019.

“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump said earlier he had delayed revealing the date and location so as not to overshadow the framework peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan signed Friday at the White House. He added that Putin “would like to meet as soon as possible.”

Speaking at the White House, Trump said there would be “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Ukraine and Russia but did not provide details. The Kremlin has not yet confirmed the date or location.

Three previous rounds of Russia-Ukraine negotiations have failed to produce results, and it remains unclear whether the summit could advance peace. Russian bombardments have displaced millions and devastated eastern and southern Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in Helsinki, Finland on July 16, 2018. (AFP File Photo)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in Helsinki, Finland on July 16, 2018. (AFP File Photo)

Putin has rejected repeated calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a cease-fire and has ruled out meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at this stage. Zelenskyy has said such a meeting is necessary to make progress toward a deal.

At talks in Istanbul last month, Russian negotiators demanded Kyiv withdraw from certain territories and renounce Western military support in exchange for halting their advance.

The Alaska meeting would be the first between a sitting U.S. and Russian president since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. Trump and Putin last met in person at a G20 summit in Japan in 2019 and have spoken several times by phone since January.

China 'glad to see Russia and US maintain contact'

The Kremlin said Friday that Putin briefed Chinese President Xi Jinping on “the main results of his conversation” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who visited Moscow earlier in the week. Xi expressed support for a “long-term” solution to the conflict, according to the Kremlin.

China’s state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Putin: “China is glad to see Russia and the United States maintain contact, improve their relations, and promote a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”

Moscow and Beijing have deepened political, economic and military ties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Putin also spoke by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after both countries condemned new U.S. tariffs related to New Delhi’s oil purchases from Russia. Xi and Modi have each promoted separate peace initiatives for Ukraine, though neither has gained traction.

Putin, who has ruled Russia for more than 25 years, said in June he was ready to meet Zelenskyy, but only during a “final phase” of negotiations. In his nightly address Thursday, Zelenskyy said “it is only fair that Ukraine should be a participant in the negotiations.”

On Friday, Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin announced the evacuation of families with children from 19 more villages in the region’s east, all within about 20 miles (30 kilometers) of the front line, as Russian forces continued advancing.

August 09, 2025 01:59 AM GMT+03:00
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