Final preparations underway for Putin-Trump summit: Live updates
The negotiations, due to begin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Friday at around 20:00 GMT, will primarily focus on finding a settlement to the Ukraine conflict. According to Moscow, global 'peace and security' as well as 'further development of bilateral cooperation' in the economy and trade will also be on the agenda.
In addition to Putin, the Russian delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, and presidential economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who has been a key figure in the Ukraine settlement process.
The US has yet to confirm the line-up of its delegation, although apart from Trump, it is expected to include Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy to Ukraine and the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Ahead of the talks, Moscow said it has a 'clear and well-defined' stance as well as arguments to present to the US side. Trump has described the summit as a 'feel-out meeting,' assessing that it has a 25% chance of failing.
The US president has suggested that the talks could focus on a land swap deal between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow maintains it will not give up Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions, which joined the country in public referendums in 2014 and 2022.
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