As Trump prepares to meet Putin, peace prospects in Ukraine war seem slim, analysts say
In a dramatic escalation of diplomatic efforts to resolve the grinding Ukraine conflict, now in its fourth year, US President Donald Trump is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks in Alaska on Friday.
Security will be extraordinarily tight: airspace over the port city will be closed on Friday and Saturday and the US Secret Service will work closely with Russia's Federal Protective Service to ensure the leaders' safety.
Indeed, the meeting's exact venue has not been officially disclosed, though The New York Times and local media reported that it would be held at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a combined US Air Force and Army base in Anchorage on Friday.
While observers worldwide fixate on how the summit might shape the war in Ukraine – and possibly scramble the geopolitical landscape – the White House has worked to temper expectations.
On Tuesday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that with 'only one party' present, a deal was not possible.
Despite strong objections from Kyiv and Brussels, neither Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky nor any EU official will take part in the talks. The White House said that Zelensky was not included because the invitation to meet came directly from Putin.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
13 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Ukraine war: Trump and Putin prepare to meet in Anchorage, Alaska for US-Russia talks
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon begin a high-stakes summit in the Alaskan port city of Anchorage. The meeting will focus on the prospect of a ceasefire to end Russia's devastating three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine, and will be the first face-to-face interaction between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January. Initially seen as a meeting that could reshape the global order, determine Ukraine's future, and redefine America's standing with its allies, the Trump administration has since tried to downplay how conclusive it will be. This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP's journalism by subscribing . New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Reporting by Khushboo Razdan in Anchorage, Robert Delaney and Frank Chen in Washington
RTHK
3 hours ago
- RTHK
Tariffs on steel, semiconductors coming soon: Trump
Tariffs on steel, semiconductors coming soon: Trump Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for Alaska to meet with Vladimir Putin. Photo: Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Friday he plans to announce tariffs on steel and semiconductors in the coming weeks. "I'll be setting tariffs next week and the week after, on steel and, I would say, chips. Chips and semiconductors, we'll be setting sometime next week, the week after," Trump said on board Air Force One as he headed to Alaska for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said the levy rate would be "lower at the beginning" but "very high after a certain period of time," as a way to encourage businesses to relocate operations to the United States. The president said his policy would prompt companies in key industries like automobiles and artificial intelligence to relocate in order to "beat the tariffs," which could be 200 or 300 percent. Trump has also said he would employ this strategy with pharmaceuticals. On August 6, Trump announced a 100 percent tariff on semiconductors from firms that do not invest in the US. Trump has already instituted tariffs on steel, announcing an initial 25 percent levy that was later doubled to 50 percent. (AFP)
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump trade war with China is starting to look like a partnership
Donald Trump is demanding his cut in every deal. This is true with both the shooting war in Ukraine and the trade war with China. In his lopsided trade deal with the European Union, the US president has boasted that the bloc will be required to buy 'vast amounts' of American weapons worth 'hundreds of billions'. Even before the deal, Vice-President J.D. Vance declared that if Europe wanted to continue the war in Ukraine, they would have to pay for it by buying US weapons. Brussels has denied that it is required to do so under the new deal, but there is no doubt it will end up buying a lot more from the US weapons industry, that is, whether it continues the war in Ukraine and/or rearms Europe against Russia. Trump really wants other people's money to pay for his tax cut for the rich. Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will be exempted from export restrictions and allowed to sell lower-performance chips to China, but only after both firms agree to hand over 15 per cent of any future sales to fill the US government's coffers. But weren't those chip curbs supposed to protect America's 'national and economic security', because those chips could help advance China's military and intelligence capabilities? Well, money talks. The 'Export Clause' in the US Constitution does not allow any export tax on American firms like the 15 per cent levy to be imposed on the two US chip giants. But who bothers with the Constitution in Trump's Washington these days?
