Navalnaya urges Putin to agree release of anti-war prisoners at Trump summit
"Release Russian political activists and journalists, Ukrainian civilians, those who were imprisoned for anti-war statements and posts on social media," Navalnaya, whose husband Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison last year, said in a video message on social media, hours before the two leaders were set to meet in Alaska.
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Roya News
3 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump outlines vision for relations with Putin as Zelensky urges US support
United States President Donald Trump highlighted his positive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin en route to Alaska, expressing openness to business discussions, but only if progress is made toward peace in Ukraine. 'I noticed he's bringing a lot of businesspeople from Russia, and that's good. I like that because they want to do business, but they're not doing business until we get the war solved,' Trump said aboard Air Force One. Asked whether business opportunities would be on the agenda, Trump replied, 'If we make progress, I would discuss it, because that's one of the things they would like; they'd like to get a piece of what I built in terms of the economy.' Trump said he believes 'something' will come out of the Alaska summit, adding, 'Look, he's a smart guy. Been doing it for a long time, but so have I. I've been doing it for a long time, and here we are: We're president. We get along. There's a good respect level on both sides, and I think something's going to come of it.' Russia's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the country's sovereign wealth fund and a senior economic negotiator, are among those attending the talks with Putin. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the meeting between Trump and Putin as 'high stakes' and a potential step toward a trilateral summit involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia. 'The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format,' Zelensky said, emphasizing that 'the necessary steps must be taken by Russia' to end the war. Zelensky said Ukraine is 'counting on America' and remains ready to work 'as productively as possible,' adding that he expects an intelligence report on 'the current intentions of the Russian side and its preparations for the meeting in Alaska.' On the battlefield, Zelensky reported that Ukrainian forces are repelling Russian attempts to gain ground near Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk and have reinforced defenses in Dobropillia and other areas of the region.
Al Bawaba
4 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
Trump signals he may walk out of Alaska summit with Putin
Published August 15th, 2025 - 03:13 GMT ALBAWABA - On Friday, a U.S. source told CNN that President Donald Trump is ready to back out of his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska if he thinks Putin is not serious about coming to a deal. The source made it clear that "all options are still on the table," which means that Trump could leave the meeting early. In comments to reporters on Thursday, Trump himself tipped his hat to the idea, saying that he would quickly figure out how the talks were going. He said, "I'll know in the first two, three, four, or five minutes whether the meeting is good or bad." "It will end very quickly if it's bad." If it's good, we'll get peace soon enough. The source said that the White House is feeling "cautious optimism" about the upcoming high-profile meeting. Trump has insisted on meeting Putin in person to find out what he thinks about a ceasefire in Ukraine. Getting ready for the Alaska Summit The Kremlin announced that Putin's plane took off from Magadan and will land in Anchorage at 11 a.m. local time on Saturday. Trump will be there to meet him when he gets there. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said that the talks could last six to seven hours and that the main goal of them will be to end the war in Ukraine. Media in Belarus said that Trump talked to the president of Belarus before the meeting, which was a sign of direct involvement. The Kremlin said again that the main topic of the meeting will be the peace in Ukraine. — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 15, 2025 Warnings and signals sent by diplomats On his way to Alaska on Air Force One, Trump told Putin again that if Russia tries to stop the peace process in Ukraine, there will be "extremely severe" economic effects. The threat made it clear how important the meeting was. Both sides have called it a possible turning point in the war. At the same time, a top NATO official is said to be in Alaska to meet with Trump and talk, which shows how important the talks are from a geopolitical point of view. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said he hoped for a breakthrough and that the Alaska meeting would "open the path to a just peace." The meeting is happening at a time when the world is paying more attention. Both Washington and Moscow have made it clear that they are ready for long, serious talks, but they have also left the door open for a quick exit. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Roya News
6 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump to meet Putin in high-stakes Alaska summit
US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meet Friday in Alaska in a high-stakes, high-risk summit that could prove decisive for the future of Ukraine. Putin will step onto Western soil for the first time since he ordered the 'Special Military Operation' in Ukraine in February 2022, a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and on which Russia has not relented, making rapid gains just before the summit. Trump extended the invitation at the Russian leader's suggestion, but the US president has since been defensive and warned that the meeting could be over within minutes if Putin does not compromise. Every word and gesture will be closely watched by European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not included and has publicly refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia. Trump has called the summit a "feel-out meeting" to test Putin, whom he last saw in 2019. "If it's a bad meeting, it'll end very quickly, and if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future," Trump said Thursday. He gave the summit a one-in-four chance of failure. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded to a question from Russian state TV by saying that Moscow would not make guesses on the outcome of the meeting. "We never make any predictions ahead of time," Lavrov said after he reached Alaska, wearing what appeared to be a shirt with "USSR" written across it in Cyrillic script. "... our position is clear and unambiguous. We will present it," he said. Trump has promised to consult with European leaders and Zelensky, saying that any final agreement would come in a three-way meeting with Putin and the Ukrainian president to "divvy up" territory. Trump's latest shift Trump has boasted of his relationship with Putin, blamed predecessor Joe Biden for the war and vowed before his return to the White House in January to bring peace within 24 hours. But despite repeated calls to Putin, and a stunning February 28 White House meeting in which Trump publicly berated Zelensky, the Russian leader has shown no signs of compromise. Trump has acknowledged his frustration with Putin and warned of "very severe consequences" if he does not accept a ceasefire -- but also agreed to see him in Alaska. The talks are set to begin at 11:30 am (1900 GMT) Friday at the Elmendorf Air Force Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska and a Cold War base for surveillance of the former Soviet Union. Adding to the historical significance, the United States bought Alaska in 1867 from Russia -- a deal Moscow has cited to show the legitimacy of land swaps. The Kremlin said it expected Putin and Trump to meet alone with interpreters before a working lunch with aides. Neither leader is expected to step off the base into Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, where protesters have put up signs of solidarity with Ukraine. Exiled Russian opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya -- whose husband Alexei Navalny died in prison last year -- urged the two leaders to strike a deal to "release Russian political activists and journalists, Ukrainian civilians, (and) those who were imprisoned for anti-war statements and posts on social media." A 'personal victory' for Putin? The summit marks a sharp shift from the approach of Western European leaders and Biden, who vowed no discussion with Russia on Ukraine's future unless Ukraine was also at the table. Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, leading him to curtail travel sharply since the war began. However, the United States is not party to the Hague tribunal and Trump's Treasury Department temporarily eased sanctions on top Russian officials to allow them to travel and use bank cards in Alaska. Zelensky said on Tuesday that the Alaska summit was a "personal victory" for Putin. With the trip, Putin "is coming out of isolation" and he has "somehow postponed sanctions," which Trump had vowed to impose on Russia without progress. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also called for security guarantees for Ukraine -- an idea downplayed by Trump at the start of his latest term. Daniel Fried, a former US diplomat now at the Atlantic Council, said Trump had the means to pressure Putin but that the Russian could distract him by seeming to offer something new.
