U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday for a high-stakes discussion over the future of the war in Ukraine.
Notably, the conversation will not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has insisted that Ukraine must be involved in any ceasefire agreements.
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President Trump stated that his ultimate goal is to end the fighting between Ukraine and Russia. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, 3.7 million people in Ukraine have been displaced, while over 6 million have moved out of the country.
On his way to Alaska on Friday, President Trump said he believes Putin is willing to negotiate an end to the war.
"I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I'm here to get them at a table. And I think you have two sides. Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine. If I wasn't president, he would, right now, be taking all of Ukraine, but he's not going to do it," President Trump said.
Setting the stage
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will host Friday's meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local time). It is expected that Putin and Trump will hold a joint press conference following their meeting.
Friday will mark the first time Putin has been on U.S. soil since September 2015, when he met with President Barack Obama and attended the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump's promise to end the war
During his 2024 presidential election campaign, President Trump claimed that he could end the conflict within 24 hours, a comment he has since said was made in jest.
Although Russia and Ukraine have been fighting over land since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimea region, hostilities escalated in 2022 when Russia began its offensive to take the rest of the nation.
Ukraine has kept Russia from taking most of the nation with the help of the U.S. and other European Union allies. Although these nations have not provided military personnel, they have supplied Ukraine with advanced weapons.
Ukraine has sought to gain membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has in its charter that if a member is attacked, other NATO members must provide military assistance. President Trump has stated that Ukraine won't join NATO, which marks a significant concession before entering negotiations.
White House setting low expectations
Given that Zelenskyy is not present, no peace agreement is expected. The White House has stated that the summit is an opportunity for President Trump to gauge Putin's willingness for a ceasefire.
President Trump expressed his desire to have a second meeting with Putin soon after Friday's gathering.
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He has mentioned that he will contact Zelenskyy and European leaders right after Friday's summit with Putin.
"I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along," President Trump said. "Maybe not. I don't know that it's going to be very important. We're going to see what happens, and I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace. We'll see if they can get along."
Why Alaska
While it was originally thought the two leaders would meet in a neutral location, there are also obvious reasons why Alaska makes sense.
Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, eliminating Russia's presence in North America. Given that Russia and Alaska are only separated by about 50 miles, Putin will not need to fly over any other countries to reach the U.S.
This is important because Putin has a warrant for his arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes against Ukraine. He is subject to arrest in 125 countries that have signed on to the ICC. The United States is not among those countries.
Scripps News live coverage
Scripps News will have live coverage all day from Anchorage and Washington, culminating with President Trump's press conference this evening. Click here to watch coverage.
